The Mind is a Delicate Thing
by Gallyrat
Summary: None of the Konoha rookies are psychopaths. Or at least, that's what everyone hopes. The Hokage's just worried about the new generation. He doesn't mean to change everything. Second in the Delicate Things Series.
1. A funeral

_Funerals, _Koyaiba decided quietly, _suck._

He was dressed in his most formal clothing, a black robe that was only accented by his dark skin. People surrounded him, mainly Hyuuga's, their heads bowed. Koyaiba recognized some of his old teachers from the academy. Looks like they had turned up to pay their last respects to Rhea.

Koyaiba glanced over to Rika, whose head was hung in an expression of defeat. Her normally unruly red hair was pulled into a tight bun, and she was wearing a conservative black kimono.

As the village Elder prattled on, Koyaiba continued to look around the crowd. It was disrespectful, he knew, but he was afraid if he allowed himself to focus on the reality of the situation, he would be crushed. He could not afford to lose strength now. He was a chunin. Rhea had known the risks.

The majority of the Hyuuga clan was there, the main family taking up the front row of the crowd. Koyaiba recognized the head of the clan and Rhea's uncle, Hiashi, his head up, his eyes blazing clear and strong. At least, that's what Koyaiba imagined. He could only see the back of the man's head.

The speaker finally finished, and the procession began. People began lining up for one last glimpse of Rhea before she was buried. Or cremated. Whatever the Hyuuga main family did with the corpses of the branch.

Koyaiba barely noticed when it was his turn to approach the coffin. Rhea looked calm inside, dressed in a white kimono with the Hyuga symbol emblazoned on it. The infamous "caged bird seal" marked her forehead, but otherwise there were no visible blemishes.

_That's because she took the kunai in the back._

Koyaiba figured he should say something to someone in Rhea's family. It shouldn't be hard - they were everywhere after all. But if he could find someone Rhea had mentioned specifically.

There was someone. A small, quiet girl with the traditional Hyuga eyes stood next to Hiashi. She was two years younger than he was, but Rhea had mentioned her often, and Koyaiba at least knew her name. maybe he should got speak to her...

"Are you Hinata?"

Apparently his feet and mouth had decided to go ahead without consulting his mind first. Hiashi looked at him in mild curiosity, while Hinata's younger sister glared up at him. Hinata just blushed and bowed her head.

Her father fixed a glare on her, and the Hyuga heiress seemed to actually feel it, her head jerking up and her mouth opening. "S-Sorry," She said, bowing slightly. "Yes. I am Hinata."

Koyaiba worked hard to keep his face straight. "Rhea talked about you often. She was very fond of you." His words were stiff and formal, and sounded almost forced to his own ears, like he was trying out a new language for the first time.

Hinata blushed and looked down again. "Thank you." She said softly. Koyaiba nodded and turned to leave, but Hiashi spoke up.

"You must be her teammate."

Koyaiba turned back to him. "Yes, Hyuga-sama."

"Koyaiba?"

Koyaiba swallowed. "Yes, Hyuga-sama."

Hiashi looked at him calmly. "I would like to speak to you."

Koyaiba bowed. It was the only thing he could do to hide the look on his face. When the leader of the most influential clan in Konoha wanted to talk to you, it was rarely for anything good. "Of course, Hyuga-sama."

Hiashi inclined his head, a sign for Koyaiba to follow him. The young chunin fell in behind Hinata and her sister, and followed them outside the graveyard.

"You must understand," Hiashi said when he had finally stopped, "there are precautions we must take."

_Gulp_

"Rhea spoke of you often," Hiashi continued. "You and her and the Nara girl trained together."

"We were all on the same team,." Koyaiba said.

Hiashi nodded. "How much did Rhea tell you about the Hyuga clan techniques?"

Koyaiba swallowed nervously again. Now that he though about it, Rhea had probably told him more than he _really_ needed to know. "I know the basic theory behind the gentle fist." He said. "I know that the Byakugan's range of vision does not extend a full 360 degrees."

Hiashi looked displeased at the last comment, but accepted it with a grim face. "Of course. It is...wise to inform her teammates of her shortcomings." When he mentioned shortcomings, his eyes flickered down to Hinata.

The girl's face was impassive, but Koyaiba noticed her shoulders twitch. According to his sister, something like that, in this situation, might as well be a full recoil. The girl was scared of her father.

"Neji!" Hiashi barked suddenly. Koyaiba's eyebrows raised a bit as a boy around a year younger than he was came and joined them.

"Yes, Hiashi-sama?" He asked, bowing his head. It was a polite gesture, a symbol of respect towards the leader of his family.

So why did his voice have so much resentment in it?

"Neji," Hiashi said. "I wish you to test this boy's knowledge of the gentle fist."

Neji nodded quietly and turned to Koyaiba, shifting his stance into one Koyaiba recognized from his sparring with Rhea. The veins around his eyes bulged, and Koyaiba realized he had activated his Byakugan. "Very well. Let us begin."

Koyaiba arched his eyebrows. "Wait, what? I don't even have my yari..." But it was clear from Hiashi's facial expression that he would brook no argument. Koyaiba sighed as he too shifted into a fighting stance. Whereas Neji shifted his center of gravity low, becoming the "unmovable mountain" Rhea had mentioned so many times in practice, Koyaiba moved up the balls of his feet, ready to move at a moments notice.

"Begin."

Koyaiba leaped towards the Hyuga, his right leg lashing out towards his head. Neji pivoted to his right, and brought his hand up in a motion to catch Koyaiba's leg.

It was a maneuver Koyaiba had seen Rhea execute countless times. So he knew what was coming next the moment he felt Neji's grip close around his ankle. Neji's right hand came up, practically glowing with chakra, in an attempt to hit the chakra point near Koyaiba's ankle.

But Koyaiba twisted his foot violently, causing Neji's hand to hit his boot. The Hyuga frowned, and Koyaiba used it as an opportunity to close in. He landed barely a foot away from Neji and tried to bring his knee up to his stomach, but Neji was too quick. He grabbed Koyaiba's collar and shoved him away, bringing his fist up in preparation to strike again.

Koyaiba tsked. This was getting nowhere. He noticed that several of the crowd had gathered around them, watching the fight impassively. It seemed almost disrespectful to Rhea, to fight at her funeral, but perhaps they needed something to get their spirits up.

Fine then. If they wanted a show, he would give them one.

Koyaiba leaped forward again, bringing his foot in a downward kick. Neji's forearm blocked it, but Koyaiba had been expecting that. He pushed off Neji's arm and flew into the air, his hands already coming together to perform seals.

"Fuuton: Four Part Wind Cannon Jutsu!"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Neji frowned as the boy launched himself into the air. This was so pointless. Just another whim of the Hyuga main family turned into reality. All of this because Hiashi wanted to see a fight.

He had not however, expected the boy to try ninjutsu, and his frown deepened as he recognized the seals.

"Fuuton: Four Part Wind Cannon Jutsu!"

The boy's mouth swelled, and when he spat, four balls of tightly compressed air burst from it. Neji clenched his teeth together. The range was too short to dodge completely. There was only one way to avoid this. But if Hiashi saw...he would just have to time this perfectly.

He stepped back, and the first ball hit the ground with a thunderous impact. Dust and dirt flew into the air as the other three balls hurtled towards him providing an adequate smokescreen. Luckily, the concrete was thick here, meaning the move was performing wouldn't leave a mark.

"Heavenly Spin." Neji whispered, chakra pouring out of his body. Hopefully, nobody from the main family had activated their Byakugans, or he would have some explaining to do. He spun his body like a top, and felt the last three busts of airs hit his defense and disperse. He stopped, just in time to see Koyaiba come diving in from above.

So that had been his plan. Use the attack as a diversion so he could finish him from the sky. Neji smirked. They were always overconfident. His right arm lashed out, hitting Koyaiba center mass as he came down on top of the Hyuga prodigy. There was a burst of chakra, and Koyaiba slumped to his knees as the dust cleared.

The crowd around them blinked slowly in surprise, but Neji did not see any shock on the faces of the main family. Good. They had not seen him perform the Heavenly Spin, which would save him a lot of grief.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Hiashi closed his eyes in relief. They boy was talented, but he couldn't even give Neji a decent workout. If his ariel attack failed so miserably against the someone of the branch, he could only imagine how it would perform against a Hyuga armed with the Heavenly Spin. The boy was not a threat to the security of the clan, and so his buisness here was done.

"Neji's veins flow thick with the blood of the clan." he said to Hanabi. "You would do well to learn from him."

Beside him, Hanabi nodded once. Hinata's head fell, but Hiashi did not notice. She wasn't important at this point anyway. Better to let Kurenai deal with her.

Hiashi nodded to Neji and walked away. The rest of the Hyuga clan followed.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Koyaiba stood a few minutes later, wiping some blood from the side of his mouth. "Well. Shit."


	2. My Dinner With the Hyugas

A week had passed since Rhea's funeral.

Koyaiba sat in his room, staring up at the ceiling. It had been inevitable, he supposed. He was a chunin, while Rika was still a genin. She would be assigned to a new team, and he would not.

He glanced over at his clock. The Hokage's note had said to meet him as soon as his meeting was over, in about two hours. That had been an hour and forty minutes ago.

Sighing, Koyaiba got out of bed and began pulling on clothes. A white shirt, a black hooded sweatshirt, and black fatigues. His headband was a dark red and was wrapped around his upper arm.

The last thing he grabbed was his yari, a red bamboo staff almost as tall as he was, topped by a blade. The weapon had been his constant companion for the better part of his time as a genin, and he wasn't used to going anywhere without it.

He walked down the steps to the lower part of the house, which was empty except for his older sister. As usual, she was asleep at her desk, books about psychology piled haphazardly around her. Koyaiba smiled slightly. Minori had been studying under Ibiki for some time now, and rarely slept anymore. In fact, Koyaiba rarely slept anymore, as Minori enjoyed studying by explaining vague and theoretical concepts to him while he worked on creating his own original jutsu.

"Minori." Koyaiba said. No response. "Minori. Minori!"

"Wha-? I...It...But..."

Koyaiba grinned. "The Hokage wants to see me. Catch you later.

Minori was asleep again before Koyaiba had even opened the door.

The chunin flew over the rooftops of Konoha, his feet moving in a steady rhythm. The Hokage's tower loomed ahead of him, overshadowed only by the faces of previous Hokages carved into the mountain.

Koyaiba skidded to a halt in front of the Hokage's tower, pushing open the door and walking inside. The Third's office was near the top - so he had a few flights of stairs to climb.

By the time he reached the Hokage's office, the old man was waiting for him. Flanking his were the infamous "Copycat" Kakashi and Minori's mentor, Ibiki.

Koyaiba swallowed.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The boy looked nervous. But that was to be expected.

Sarutobi, the third Hokage of the Hidden Leaf village (for the second time, technically) tried to give Koyaiba an encouraging smile. "Ah. Koyaiba. We've been waiting."

Koyaiba walked hesitantly forward, bowing to each of the men in turn.

"Hokage-dono. Hatake-sama. Morino-sama."

Sarutobi nodded in response, while Kakashi held up a hand and Ibiki grunted. The boy was polite, which was a good sign - polite meant he was more likely to listen to them.

"I suppose you want to know why I brought you here." Sarutobi said, leaning forward towards the boy. Koyaiba said nothing, but nodded an affirmative. Sarutobi sighed an toyed with his pipe for a moment. "Recently," he said, glancing up towards Kakashi and Ibiki, "it has been brought to my attention that the genin squads of this generation...four of them in particular, are unusually talented." He handed Koyaiba a folder, which the chunin leafed through. He nodded slowly.

"Hatake-sama's team. Yuhi-sama's team. Saru..." Koyaiba glanced up the the Hokage. "Asuma-sama's team. And, er, Gai's team."

Kakashi snorted.

Sarutobi rolled his eyes. "Yes. Exactly. The genin on these four teams have enormous potential...but as Ibiki and Kakashi here informed me, they can also be quite...erratic."

Koyaiba said nothing, but he frowned.

"Genius and and insanity are two sides of the same coin." Sarutobi said, sensing the boy's confusion. "We're afraid..."

"That they'll go to the dark side?" Koyaiba asked, his expression completely serious.

Nobody said anything for a moment. Kakashi, Ibiki, Sarutobi all felt like they were missing something vitally important here. Koyaiba sighed.

"Never mind."

"Yes." Sarutobi said, shuffling his papers uncomfortably. "Anyway...as Ibiki here tells me, your sister Minori is proving to be quite adept as psychology."

Thank you Hokage-dono," Koyaiba said, bowing his head, "but I'm afraid i don't understand how this applies to me."

Sarutobi fiddled with his pipe again. He tried to keep his face a mask of neutrality, but if the boy hadn't picked up on it by now...then again, perhaps that was what they needed. The entire point of this was that geniuses, prodigies were too unreliable. They needed someone...not stupider, but more controllable for this particular assignment.

"Surely you had to have picked something up from your sister. Ibiki mentioned that she often speaks to you about her studies, explains things."

Koyaiba's brow furrowed, and Sarutobi could almost see the cogs in his head turning. "Oh." The boy said finally. "I get it." He looked suspiciously around at the three men. "That's why you didn't assign me to a new team, and Rika-chan went to Team 3."

Sarutobi nodded. Maybe the boy was smarter than he gave him credit for. "We'll be assigning you to missions with several of the teams. You have a week until your first one.

Koyaiba cleared his throat.

Sarutobi arched an eyebrow. "Yes, Koyaiba?"

"If possible, I'd like to start my assignment now. With Hinata Hyuga."

Ibiki coughed, and Kakashi's one visible eye took on a quizzical expression. Sarutobi, however, smiled tightly. "And why is that?"

"When we came up with the concept this mission," Ibiki said, cutting in, "the Hyuga girl was not high on our list."

Koyaiba stared Ibiki dead in the eyes. To the boys credit, he managed at least a few seconds before hurriedly looking away. "Weak or not, she's the Hyuga clan heir. I highly doubt she isn't gifted, but conversations I had with Rhea imply that she isn't aggressive enough to use the gentle fist properly. Not only that, but based of Rhea's descriptions of the way the main family is run, and my own observations, I believe the girl has gone through considerable abuse. I would like to begin with her."

Sarutobi smiled.

Definitely smarter than he gave him credit for.

"Not only that," Koyaiba continued, obviously bolstered by his initial success, "but approaching Hinata would likely allow me to interact with her cousin. Neji."

Sarutobi's smile grew. The trap was really sprung now. Out of all the genin, Neji was number two on the list.

"Alright..." Kakashi said slowly, his voice muffled by his trademark mask. "But the question of how exactly you're going to do this still stands. There isn't a mission for you and them to take on."

"I believe I have an idea." Sarutobi said. "It is traditional for my newly appointed Chunin guards to become acquainted with the influential members of Konoha. This is usually done through dinner."

Koyaiba grinned.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Minori awoke to Koyaiba's shouting. Again.

"What? What?" She asked, rubbing the back of her head. "What do you want?"

Koyaiba plopped down in front of her and offered her a mug of coffee, Minori's newest "all-nighter" drink. She looked up at him, puzzled.

"Tell me everything about psychology."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Kakashi frowned as Koyaiba left. "Are you sure we made the right choice?"

Ibiki's expression didn't change, but it ever changed much. Kakashi wondered if it was the man's discipline or if his injuries just prevented his face from moving too much. "His sister is very talented, and she has mentioned the boy had displayed a passing interest in psychology." he said. "She tends to run things by him a lot, or so she tells me, so he's doubtlessly picked up at least the fundamentals.

The Hokage nodded. "His scores at the academy were relatively average in all categories, but he scored in the 99th percentile in observational skills. He sees things, even if he doesn't always let on that he does.

"Or realize what it is he's seeing." Kakashi said. "You saw how long it took him to figure out what was going on."

"Do you have a better candidate Kakashi?"

The copy-cat ninja shrugged.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Koyaiba briefly wondered if he had been insane when he had requested his new "mission" begin immediately.

A silent Hyuga lead him down a hallway towards the clan's dining hall. Koyaiba again found himself in nice robes, nicer than he was used to wearing. The soft material felt odd on him, and it seemed to lightweight to be really there. He was irrationally afraid of looking down to see he was actually completely naked.

But all these thoughts came to a sudden and immediate halt when he walked into the dining room.

Not only was it bursting with people, but all of them were staring at him.

Koyaiba suppressed a gulp. The Hyuga were renowned for reading body language, and it would not be good to show weakness. So instead, he took a short breath, stared straight at Hyuga Hiashi, and bowed. Low, probably more so than was strictly nessecary for this meeting, but it was the only way he could hide the terrified expression on his face.

When returned to a normal stance, his face was composed. Hiashi bowed back to him; not as low as Koyaiba had, but that was to be expected. Hiashi was the master here after all.

"Koyaiba." Hiashi said, his voice calm and precise. "So good to see you again." He smiled a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, and Koyaiba repressed the sudden urge to shiver.

He smiled instead. From the looks on the faces of the people around him, and the sudden flash of smug triumph in Hiashi's normally cold eyes, he had failed miserably. "I didn't honestly expect to find myself eating dinner with the Hyuga clan." He admitted honestly, taking his seat and trying to remain calm. It would not be good if he showed weakness now. He had the feeling the Hyugas were like wolves - show that you're open to attack, and they'll happily oblige you.

"We do not usually allow outsiders to dine with us." Hiashi said, sitting cross legged on the ground across for Koyaiba. Koyaiba noticed that Hanabi sat on his right, but Hinata was conspicuously absent.

_Well._

"But of course, we cannot turn down such an esteemed guest." Hiashi finished, snapping Koyaiba out of his thoughts.

"Not so esteemed really." Koyaiba said, inclining his head in an attempt to be modest. "The Hokage's chunin guards aren't much more than faces. If something was to actually happen, it would be the ANBU who handled the situation."

"Still," Hiashi said, his face unnervingly calm, "Rarely is someone so young chosen. You should be proud."

Koyaiba almost fell for it. His mouth was opening to stammer a polite acceptance of the complement before he slammed it shut, mind whirling at a thousand miles per hour.

He was playing _that_ game then.

Koyaiba steadied his breathing. It was common, Minori had told him, when two people were forced into the position of host and guest, for one to attempt to place himself below the other.

This, she had said, put the other person in a superior position, especially if the one who succeeds is actually the higher ranking of the two. By placing themselves below the guest, they show that they are humble enough to allow a lower ranking guest to assume the dominant position in a social interaction.

Everyone always sympathizes with the humble ones.

The bow had thrown Koyaiba off guard. He hadn't expected Hiashi to play the "humbling" game, but if he was planning to, the traditional opening was to bow lower than your "opponent", in this case Koyaiba. Looks like Hiashi was even better at this than he had anticipated.

"I can't be too proud," Koyaiba said calmly, struggling to find the right words. "Technically, I'm still in training. I'm next in line you might say. And besides," he said, his face twisting into a polite smile, "how can I be proud with what I have accomplished, when I sit in front of one of the most powerful men in Konoha? How can I be proud with what I have accomplished when I see how far I could still climb?"

Game.

Set.

Match.

"You are too kind," Hiashi said, his eyes flashing briefly. "I believe our dinner is ready."

Koyaiba let out a long held breath. That had almost been a disaster. He wasn't quite sure how he done that, to be honest, but at least all that studying with Minori had helped out in the end...

Over the next few minutes, Koyaiba had to work hard to stifle a string of curses.

Because Hinata was serving him dinner.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Hiashi smiled to himself as the boy's face twitched and became still. Hinata may be a failure when it came to fighting, but for other tasks, she was perfect.

The boy had caught on exactly how he wanted him to. The boy ploy had worked like a charm and lulled Koyaiba into a false since of security. But Hiashi had learned mind games from the best.

While he and most of the Hyuga knew that Hanabi was the real heiress to the clan, most assumed that the title would go to his oldest daughter. Therefore, Hinata was publicly in a position that demanded great respect. She was technically next in line to lead Konoha's oldest and most powerful clan. And so he had informed her earlier that she would be serving Koyaiba dinner tonight.

The boy had played his part perfectly. He had built Hiashi's reputation up far higher than he deserved in an attempt to match him at the game...But that was what the Hiashi had expected. Now that Koyaiba had flattered him outrageously, it made it even more humbling for Hiashi to task his daughter with serving the boy specifically. As payed servants brought the rest of the food, Hinata poured Koyaiba's tea and laid his fish out in front of him, her head and eyes down.

Perfect.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Hinata Hyuga had never been so nervous in her life.

Well, that might be a lie. She might've been more nervous the few times she interacted with Naruto while they were both in the academy, but those...miracles...were few and far between. Besides, there was no nervousness like the nervousness you were feeling right now.

All her father had told her was that they would be receiving an esteemed guest, and it would be her duty to serve him personally. She would cater to anything he needed, (Hinata had turned slightly red at this point, and her father had looked like he wanted to hit her. But he always looked that way.) and place his priorities in front of her own. She was to be flawless, or she would bring shame on all of the clan.

Just thinking about that made her hands shake.

While she was serving Koyaiba his tea.

Koyaiba jumped as the hot liquid spilled onto his lap, letting out a short cry of discomfort. Hinata's eyes widened, her blush deepened, and her hear began beating very fast. This was not good at all.

Her father was on his feet in an instant, attempting to help Koyaiba, but he threw one furious glance at her and mouthed "out". Hinata didn't have to be told twice, and she was out of the room in a flash.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Koyaiba really wasn't that upset about the tea. It wouldn't stain, and it wasn't all that hot. Besides, he was more concerned with trying to figure out if he was back in the "humbling" game. If he downplayed this incident's significance, and then...

But as Hinata scurried out of the room like a terrified mouse, Koyaiba began to worry. He was getting too distracted by Hiashi, and had almost forgotten the real reason he was here. He was not at this dinner to beat the leader of the Hyuga clan in a battle of wits. He was here to observe Hinata and Neji.

After Koyaiba had assured him he was fine for the hundredth time, Hiashi excused himself to "have some words with his daughter." Koyaiba frowned, remembering the way Hinata's shoulder had jerked a few days ago.

Curiouser and curiouser.

Dinner resumed as normal, though there weren't too many conversations being held; people just ate in silence. Finally, Koyaiba turned to Hanabi, Hinata's younger sister.

"You're Hanabi, right?" He asked, trying to smile a bit. She just looked up and nodded, the pale eyes of the Hyuga clan locked on his. "You're Hinata's sister right?" He asked, determine to drive this conversation somewhere. "What's she like?"

Hanabi shrugged. "Father gets frustrated with her a lot. She doesn't do too well in our family training sessions. Father says I'm already much better than her." At this last part, her chest swelled a bit; apparently the young girl was very proud of her abilities compared to her older sister.

"I'd say your father was pretty frustrated now," Koyaiba said, the corner of his mouth twitching.

"Yeah." Hanabi said, looking down at her plate. "He was really mad. She's really gonna get it."

"Get it?" Koyaiba asked, frowning slightly. "Does he yell at her?"

Hanabi glanced at him oddly, and Koyaiba realized that the girl was catching herself. No doubt Hiashi had told her to steer away from talks about their family life.

"Not really," she said, but Koyaiba could tell by the way she was looking down that she was lying, "he just gets mad and sends her to her room.

_Yeah. Right. Somehow Hiashi just doesn't seem the "room without supper" type of dad._

But now that that realm of possibility had opened, his mind was going rampant, and he was afraid that some of them were at least mostly right. He would have to look into that later, but for now he had something to focus on.

"So Hanabi...what do you think about Neji?"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"So Hanabi...what do you think about Neji?"

Hanabi made sure she thought before she spoke to Koyaiba again. He seemed nice enough, but father had warned her not to trust him. And he had seemed unusually curious about Hinata, which was odd. People almost never asked about Hinata once she mentioned she was more talented than her older sister.

"He's ok." She said, "Father always tells me to watch how he does things, because he's really skilled. But he's from one of the brach families so..."

Koyaiba nodded grimly, and Hanabi remembered that Rhea had been on his team. How much had she told him about the main family and the branch families?

"He doesn't like me though." Hanabi said, her lower lip sticking out just a bit. "He never practices with me unless Father tells him to. Then he listens, but he's never happy about it. He just scowls at me."

Koyaiba grinned. "Why wouldn't he like you? You didn't beat him up did you?"

Hanabi suppressed a frown. She had never gotten close to beating Neji. He would consistently close her chakra points in the first few minutes of their sparring matches unless Father specifically told him to fight defensively. "I don't know why he doesn't like me." She admitted to Koyaiba. She had asked Father, but he had gotten mad and left before saying anything. "But it isn't just me. He doesn't like Hinata either. And he acts respectful around Father, but I've seen the way he looks at him when Father isn't looking. I thinks it's because of...you know..." She motioned towards her forehead, and Koyaiba nodded knowingly.

At about that time, Father returned from "disciplining" Hinata. Hanabi found herself feeling slightly sympathetic for her older sister, but squashed it almost immediately. Father was fair in his punishments, and Hinata had most certainly brought this one on herself.

"So," Hiashi said, smiling at Koyaiba. "How was your time at the academy?"


	3. A journey

Sarutobi opened the plain white envelope. Kakashi lounged behind him - the jounin's team was currently eating lunch after one of their more difficult practices. Ibiki was preparing for the chunin exams. They were only a few weeks from resolving the border conflict between the Grass and the Rain, and so the exams were scheduled to begin without too much more of a delay.

The letter was addressed to the Hokage-dono, and read simply:

_The dinner did not go as well as I would've hoped. Hiashi was very tight lipped about his family's activities -_

"Like we didn't see that one coming," Kakashi muttered as Sarutobi read the letter aloud. "That clan is a collection of the most paranoid people in Konoha, and Hiashi is the worst of them."

_I am however, worried about an abusive relationship between Hiashi and Hinata. If I'm correct, she gets beaten often, if not daily, for her "failures". Neji is emotionally detached, refusing to speak to me at all during the dinner, but from what I've managed to gather he houses an anger towards Hiashi's family._

"Ah," Sarutobi said. "So that's what it is. I suspected as much."

Kakashi's eye shifted in a way that proposed a frown. "He got all of that from one dinner with the family?"

"I told you, the boy isn't stupid. On one of his first real missions, he busted a drug cartel. Figured out they were smuggling the drugs in the hollowed out handles of kunai." He smiled slightly and shook his head. "For the life of me, I will never understand how he figured that out. "

"Hollowed out kunai? Huh."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Koyaiba stared up at the ceiling and wondered if he was going stir crazy.

Since his dinner with the Hyugas, the Hokage had asked him to do absolutely nothing. He had tried to train, but without Rhea and Rika to work with it was just wasted time. So instead he stared at the ceiling and read, basically all day. It was driving him insane.

So he was relieved when a message from the hokage arrived, telling him to meet Kakashi at training ground 19 as soon as possible. He was to arrive packed for at least a week, and it took him a few minutes to get all his stuff together, but he was out the door and headed for the training ground like he was outrunning a tidal wave.

When he came to a stop on training ground 19, he was greeted by not only Kakashi, but three genin that seemed to be about Hinata's age. Koyaiba recognized two of them, an orange clad Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke, sole survivor of the legendary Uchiha massacre. The third was a pink haired girl whom he had never met.

"Kakashi-sama," Koyaiba said, bowing politely. "I assume this is your genin team?"

Kakashi's mask twisted upwards, a sign Koyaiba associated with a grin. "Yep." He bent down and ruffled Sasuke's hair, to the boy's obvious annoyance. "I'm sure you already know Naruto and Sasuke, and this is Sakura," he said, pointing at the pink haired girl. Sakura smiled and waved.

Koyaiba nodded. "Hokage-dono said I needed to be packed for a week. And your genin have backpacks. Care to explain?"

Kakashi turned away, pulling a tiny orange book out of his flak jacket. "These three have a mission. You're going to be leading them."

"D rank?"

"C rank. And it should be a _real _C-rank this time," Kakashi said as Sakura began to protest. "You guys are just checking up on some old bandit hideout, making sure it's not occupied. It's about 3 days journey from here. Koyaiba should know where it is."

Koyaiba frowned. "How...oh. It's that base again."

Kakashi waved and disappeared.

"What do you mean it's that base again?" Naruto asked, his expression shifting from excited to suspicious.

Koyaiba sighed. "One of my first missions as a chunin was busting a drug operation. They were working out of a base about 3 days from here. I guess that's where we're headed."

"All right!" Naruto said, grinning. "This'll be easy!"

"C rank missions are nothing to laugh at." Koyaiba said, frowning at Naruto. _Dangerous. Reckless. No regard for personal safety perhaps?_

"Neh, it's OK." Naruto said, looking back at him. "We just got back from an A rank mission, so we can probably handle anything."

Koyaiba arched an eyebrow. "What? An A rank mission? Why would the Hokage send a team of genin on an A rank mission?"

"It's true." Sakura said from behind him. She was walking next to Sasuke, who still hadn't spoken since Koyaiba had arrived. "The man who hired us, Tazuna, didn't have the money to hire for an A rank, so he lied about the danger. Sasuke-kun almost died."

Sasuke grunted.

Koyaiba scratched the back of his head awkwardly. Hell, he hadn't even completed an A rank mission yet. He wouldn't be surprised if these genin were stronger than him. And that scared him.

_Hokage-dono did say their generation was populated with prodigies,_ Koyaiba thought to himself. _Maybe he was really right._

"Well, if we're going to be traveling together for a week, and, you guys are going to be serving under me, you might as well tell me about yourselves," Koyaiba said finally, changing the subject. "Is there anything I should know?"

"You should know that you're speaking to the future Hokage!" Naruto said proudly. "Believe it!"

_Future Hokage? _Koyaiba grinned in spite of himself. _Who does he think he's kidding? I've got more of a chance to become Hokage...and that's got about .5% chance of ever happening..._

Naruto saw the grin and scowled, but Sakura spoke up before he could start shouting. He seemed very hesitant to interrupt the pink haired kunoichi, for whatever reason.

"Don't take Naruto too seriously," She said, sighing and twirling her index finger around her temple in the 'crazy' gesture. "He talks big a lot. You just have to learn to ignore it."

Koyaiba frowned. _Well that's a great attitude to hold towards your teammate. _

"Neh, it's true!" Naruto shouted, crossing his arms and coming to a stop. "I'm gonna be the strongest ninja in the village! And then everyone will acknowledge me!"

Koyaiba stopped dead in his tracks.

_So that's what this is about._

Suddenly the orange jumpsuit made sense. So did the big mouth, the constant talking, the overconfidence. Naruto wanted to be acknowledged, and so he was going to make himself as obvious as possible.

Koyaiba's parents, like everyone else's parents, didn't like Naruto. Koyaiba didn't know why, but the boy had been shunned by the villagers basically since birth. Suddenly his attitude made a whole lot more sense.

Koyaiba smiled slightly. "I'll bet on that Naruto."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

It continued like that for several hours.

Sakura sighed. Koyaiba and Naruto were doing most of the talking. Koyaiba seemed nice enough, but she wasn't quite sure they could trust him. Why wasn't Kakashi-sensei coming with them? All he had said was that he had some kind of important mission and they'd only get in the way.

Well, she only got in the way when she was with Naruto and Sasuke, so she might have well have just gone with Kakashi-sensei.

She had attempted to speak to Sasuke several times during the journey, but he was distant. More so than usual. He wasn't even attempting to brush her off, just pretending like she didn't even exist.

Koyaiba had had about the same success. Sasuke had fixed him with a glare the first time the chunin had turned the spotlight towards him, and Koyaiba had only tried once or twice since then.

When it started getting dark, they stopped at an inn. It was nice enough, and had a quaint feel to it. Sakura got her own room, but barely got any sleep. Naruto's voice kept coming through the wall that separated the boys' room from hers, he had to be keeping half the inn up with the racket he was making. Sakura groaned and pulled the sheets over her head. _Is he trying to be annoying? Why can't he just learn to calm down and be more like Sasuke-kun?_

Most of the rest of the night was her thinking about Sasuke.

The next day of travel was much the same as the first. Nothing really happened beyond Naruto being an idiot, Sasuke refusing to notice her in any way, shape or form, and Koyaiba trying to juggle them all. She almost felt sorry for Koyaiba. She doubted she would've been able to handle team 7 for so long.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"We've got four questionable people approaching from the western side."

Kira snapped to attention and looked towards where Ryo sat inside one of his barrier jutsu. "I'm reading abnormally high chakra from one of them," Ryo continued, "that's probably the jounin." He frowned, his concentration deepening. "There's no doubt about it. They're heading this way." His eyes snapped open, and Kira felt the chakra sensing barrier around the compound fall. "Alert the others. We have some visitors."


	4. Fight Begin

Chapter Four

Koyaiba sighed and pulled a pair of binoculars out of his bag. "Here's the deal guys. Our mission is to observe the compound and make sure nobody is using it. I doubt it's in use, but the book calls for some ranged reconnaissance before we go anywhere near the place."

"Why didn't you just destroy the base the last time you were here? Naruto asked, peering through his binoculars at the small stone block.

"Konoha was planning to use it as an outpost," Koyaiba said, laying down on his back, "they just haven't really gotten around to it. The place is bigger than it looks, it extends underground a good bit." He waved his hand nonchalantly. "Look, I'ma take a nap. Wake me up in a few hours, or if you see anything move."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto frowned. "This sucks."

"Hn."

"I mean, we've been out here for two hours and nothings even moved. How long did he say he was going to sleep?" He looked over at Koyaiba, who was sprawled out on the ground behind them.

"Hn."

"And when will Sakura be back with firewood? I'm hungry."

Sasuke didn't even bother with a grunt. He just shrugged and peered through his binoculars again.

"Hey Sasuke wanna-"

"No."

"But you don't even-"

"No."

"But why?"

"Hn."

"This sucks."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Sakura smiled slightly when she returned to Naruto and Sasuke bickering. There was a time where she would've smacked Naruto for daring to annoy Sasuke-kun, but since their mission in the land of waves she had softened a bit towards the orange clad ninja. Besides, the constant chatter seemed to be drawing Sasuke out of his shell, at least somewhat.

She lay the firewood in a pile and glanced towards Koyaiba. The chunin was sound asleep, his mouth twitching ever few seconds as if he wanted to say something. Sakura shrugged to herself. At least he was on time.

"Hey Sakura-chan," Naruto said, grinning.

Sakura barely nodded in response. She hadn't softened _that_ much. "Hi Sasuke-kun."

"Hn."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Sasuke eyed the small stone block of an entrance through his binoculars. Nothing had changed in the last 3 hours. Why was he even doing this mission?

Their chunin leader was asleep, and all he had done the entire day was stare at a rock.

Well, technically he had also been forced to put up with his teammates. He had even had to speak to them a little, just to relieve the boredom. This would definitely not help him kill Itachi. He was only a few minutes away from setting Koyaiba on fire in order to get the mission over with, but Naruto cracked first.

The orange clad genin threw his binoculars down in disgust and stalked over to Koyaiba. Grabbing the sleeping boy by his jacket, he shook him violently. Sakura gasped as Koyaiba's head slammed against the ground.

Sasuke almost chuckled. Almost. He did, however, allow himself a small smile. After he made sure neither of his teammates were watching of course.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Koyaiba awoke to someone banging his head against the ground. It was, he decided after a moment, extremely uncomfortable. He was going to ignore it, and hope it went away.

No such luck. Now it felt like someone was banging the side of his head repeatedly. He sighed. _3...2...1..._

Koyaiba's eyes opened to a very angry Naruto standing above him. Immediately his hands snapped together, forming several quick seals, and Naruto's eyes widened.

"Wind Style: Air Burst Jutsu!"

A burst of air hit Naruto in the stomach, sending him flying into the trees. Koyaiba heard Sakura let out a mortified squeak. Then the sound of Sasuke chuckling. Koyaiba shook his head and turned to get his yari, muttering to himself.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Koyaiba's brow furrowed. That couldn't be Naruto. That was a jutsu most Jounin were afraid to use, surely the genin-

That particular line of thought stopped when something crashed into the back of his neck, and another grabbed his legs.

Letting out a startled yelp, Koyaiba fell to the ground. He kicked out instinctively, grabbing his yari and slamming the butt of the staff into whatever had hit him high. There was a puff of smoke, and Koyaiba's mouth dropped open.

_How in hell..._

Koyaiba then made the mistake of looking up.

Several dozen Naruto's crouched in the branches above him, all smiling wickedly.

_This has got to be a dream._

With a raw throated yell, 50 Narutos dropped onto their startled chunin leader.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Alright...are we all ready?"

"Of course! Believe it!"

"Yes Koyaiba-san."

"Hn."

"We haven't seen any movement all day-"

"You mean _we_ haven't seen any movement all day."

Koyaiba sighed, sending Naruto and annoyed glance. Sakura lightly smacked her blond teammate upside the head. Koyaiba gave her an approving nod.

"Anyway, the bad guys probably aren't there. But, of course, we still have to be careful when we go in there. There might be traps." He looked at the assembled genin and grinned. "Which is why Naruto's going in first."

Sakura frowned. Sasuke smirked. Naruto grinned and put his hands together in a familiar hand sign. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Immediately 20 Naruto's filled the small clearing the ninja team stood in. Naruto let out a sharp whistle and pointed towards the stone entrance. "CHARGE!"

A half moment later, there was an enormous puff of smoke.

Koyaiba felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle. "Naruto. Sakura. Sasuke. Behind me," He said. Sakura was the only one who obeyed.

As the smoke cleared, Koyaiba was able to pick out three people standing in front of them.

The first one wielded an oversized sword. While not as large as he was, the thing was still huge, and jingled every time the man moved it. Tiny bells hung from the hilt, the source of the noise.

But that wasn't the only source. Strips of cloth were tied around his wrists and ankles. Attached to the cloth were more bells. He wore dark clothing, and a his forehead protector was tied over his eyes. His hair was white, clipped awkwardly short.

The second person was a girl, her short black and white hair sticking straight up. She was freakishly skinny, and her arms seemed almost too long for her body. What little clothing she wore was dirty and tattered, but the forehead protector she had wrapped tightly around her throat was in pristine condition.

The third man was impressive not for his physical appearance, but for the weapon he wielded. It was a long chain, with what looked like a windmill shuriken attached at either end. He was the smallest of the three, his long black hair reaching to his shoulders.

"Oh..." Koyaiba muttered, recognizing the symbols on their forehead protectors. "Shit."

The symbols were little musical notes.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Sakura really wasn't surprised when the three enemy ninja appeared.

Why should she be? Their last mission had been a C-rank too, and look how that had turned out. They had been attacked by an A-rank missing ninja from the "Bloody Mist". Why should this mission be any different.

Out of the four of them, Koyaiba seemed to be the only one who was nervous about this. Naruto looked surprised but excited, and Sasuke...was Sasuke. No emotion whatsoever.

The girl of the group, or "the freak" as Sakura had already dubbed her, let out a raspy laugh. "Heeheehee, these ones look fun," she said, smiling and showing several rotten teeth. "I want the girlie."

"Yeah, no thanks," Koyaiba said, grabbing his Yari and pointing it towards the freak. "Step back, bitch."

The freak narrowed her eyes and moved forward, but the one with the big sword moved forward. The bells around his wrists and ankles jingled, and he stood completely still for a moment before speaking. "Kira. Take the two boys on the left." The Freak grinned, inching closer towards Koyaiba and Sasuke. "Taiyo, you have the girl. I have this one," He said, pointing at Naruto. "He's the most dangerous."

"Aw, yeah! Believe it!"

"Like hell," Sasuke growled. He disappeared in a puff of smoke. So did Kira. Koyaiba ground his teeth together and vanished as well.

When they reappeared, Koyaiba was blocking Kira's kunai with the staff section of his yari. Sasuke lay on the ground behind the chunin, dark eyes wide. "Sasuke, help Naruto. I'll take care of her," Koyaiba said. Sasuke nodded, closing his eyes briefly. Sakura caught a flash of crimson before he vanished again.

Naruto's voice broke the tense silence. "Sakura! Behind you!"

Sakura turned at the shouted warning, eyes widening as she saw Taiyo bearing down on her. He twirled his bizarre weapon with terrifying ease, and Sakura gulped, her hands forming quick seals. "Substitution Justu!"

There was a puff of smoke, and the end of Taiyo's chain sunk into a log. Taiyo snarled, but Sakura was already forming more seals from the tree behind him. "Let's go!"


	5. Trickery

Sakura's hands flew together, forming several seals in the span of a few seconds. "Clone Justu!"

There was a puff of smoke, and now three Sakuras stood on a branch above the sound ninja. Taiyo grit his teeth and swung his bizarre weapon forward, the giant shuriken on the end whipping towards the branch Sakura stood on. Apparently, he intended to take them all out in one fell...swing.

All three Sakuras leaped into the air, dodging the attack by inches and rebounding off branches above them. They dove towards Taiyo, who whirled the chain above his head like a propellor, attempting to deflect any kunai or shuriken the kunoichi might throw. There were several loud clangs, and Taiyo dropped the shuriken chain with a grin.

As soon as he was unarmed, three Sakura's charged him. Taiyo reached into his pouch and pulled out several kunai, all equipped with explosive notes.

Sakura's eyes narrowed as Taiyo threw the kunai at the ground and leaped away. Her hands formed seals again, and with a shout and a puff of smoke, a log popped into existence where she had been standing not a moment before.

_He's fast,_ Sakura thought, watching Taiyo from behind a mass of leaves, _and deadly with that shuriken chain. If I could close the distance it would be useless, but I can't get past mid range with him swinging it around like that. _ It was moments like these Sakura wished she knew the shadow clone jutsu like Naruto. It would be so much easier for her to get in close if she had dozens of her distracting the guy. _But I don't have shadow clones. I'll have to think of something else._

She leapt from her hiding place, throwing three shuriken at Taiyo. But the sound ninja simply blocked them with his shuriken chain, apparently undamaged from the explosion it's wielder had caused. Taiyo snarled, swinging the shuriken chain in a vicious overhand strike. Sakura dodged, but the shuriken bit into her shoulder, and she threw herself into a roll, gritting her teeth to stop from screaming. _He's wearing me down. I have to finish this quickly. Think Sakura! Think! _

But Taiyo wasn't going to give her any time to gather her thoughts. Already kunai and shuriken were whizzing through the bushes, and Sakura was forced to retreat. She ran up the trunk of a tree, feet glowing with chakra, and grabbed her emergency kit.

First, she grabbed a small bottle of alcohol and dumped it onto the wound. It hurt like hell, but she grit her teeth and bore it. Peeling of several long strips of bandages from the roll, she wound them tightly around the cut, hoping that the hasty job would hold until she could get some real medical attention.

Several more kunai flew through the trees, and Sakura leapt away, mind whirling at a hundred miles an hour. She had a plan, now she just had to figure out a way to execute it.

Her feet his the ground hard, jarring her back to reality, and she drew a single kunai from her belt before charging forward. Wrapping her only explosive tag around the handle, she grinned and let fly.

Still charging forward.

Taiyo's hand deftly reached out and plucked the kunai from the air, hurling it back at Sakura quicker than the eye could follow. Sakura's mouth opened, and the note went off.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Taiyo limped out from the cloud of dust the explosion had kicked up, trying to stop the flow of blood from his torso. The note had exploded way too close for comfort, but at least the girl was finally dead. He had seen her broken body fly into the underbrush.

Taiyo grinned and stumbled through the bushes, ears still ringing from the blast, he looked up to see Kira finish off the kid with the yari. Their eyes met as Kira tossed his body behind some bushes, and Taiyo flashed her a grin before turning around.

The next moment, he felt a sharp pain in his back.

Taiyo collapsed to the ground, twisting his neck in an attempt to see what the hell happened. There was a kunai buried up to the hilt in his back, and Kira stood over him, face impassive.

"Guess who."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Koyaiba hit the ground running and didn't look back. He leapt up to a tree branch, and had no sooner pushed off of it than the entire tree was destroyed by a sudden, violent scream.

"Son of a _bitch!_" Koyaiba shouted, throwing a glance at Kira, who was still pursuing him. The woman was smiling insanely, her tongue hanging out of her mouth like a dog, and she followed him with a single minded intensity, occasionally letting loose with one of her sonic screams. "What the hell _is_ that?"

"Isn't it great?" Kira shouted back, her eyes shining. "It's my clan's special technique! I can amplify my voice up to a thousand times it's original potency, and then concentrate it!"

"Great," Koyaiba muttered, dropping to the ground and leaping off in another direction. "Just great." He began forming seals and jumped into the air, twisting and finishing his jutsu as he did so. "Wind Style: Four Part Wind Canon Jutsu!"

Kira simply grinned, executing a perfect backflip and dodging the attack like it was nothing. "You're going to have to try harder than that!"

Koyaiba reversed and launched a punch at Kira's face but she dodged again, kicking out at Koyaiba's gut. Koyaiba grabbed her foot and swung her, throwing her into a tree. Kira hit with a thud and dropped to the ground, and Koyaiba slammed the butt of his yari towards the back of her neck. Barely a moment before the blow connected Kira rolled out of the way and slammed the top of her head into Koyaiba's chin. Koyaiba stumbled back as Kira released another scream, missing him but sending him spinning.

Koyaiba chucked a shuriken in Kira's direction, but she swayed to the right in a movement that reminded Koyaiba more of a dance than a fighting technique. She screamed again, and Koyaiba barely managed to throw himself out of the way before the scream liquified most of his internal organs. He leaped onto a branch and rocketed off, bringing his yari as far over his head as it could go and screaming like a madman as he flew towards Kira. As soon as he got close enough he whipped his yari forward in a hammer-like blow.

It didn't work.

Kira's hand shot out and snatched the yari right below the blade. She pivoted her left foot, and using Koyaiba's momentum against him, slammed him face first into the ground. Koyaiba's vision exploded into stars, and he realized that his nose hurt.

A lot.

Koyaiba gasped, struggling to his feet, but Kira landed a well placed kick between his legs. Koyaiba screamed, mind flashing to all the children who could now never be born.

Kira laughed, turning Koyaiba over and grabbing him by the throat. Her tiny arms held him aloft with deceptive ease as she studied his face, eventually reaching out with her free hand and tweaking his broken nose.

_Ok._

_Ow._

Still chuckling, Kira didn't notice Koyaiba reaching into his pouch for a kunai. His fingers wrapped around the cool metal, and he yanked it free, plunging it towards Kira's neck. Unfortunately, the kunai met Kira's forehead protector with a metallic clang and bounced off. All it succeeded in doing is making the sound ninja very angry.

She let out a surprised cough and hurled Koyaiba at a tree, grabbing her neck and cursing loudly. Koyaiba hit the trunk with a thud and pushed himself to his feet, but Kira was already in front of him, slamming her fist into his gut.

Koyaiba stumbled backwards, bringing his hands up in a feeble defense that Kira contemptuously batted aside. Her next blow found Koyaiba's jaw, and he let out a grunt of pain before dropping to his knees. Kira kicked him in the chest and he fell to his back, his entire body screaming in pain.

"That _hurt_ you bastard," Kira snarled, still standing over him. She rubbed her forehead protector, making sure it was still wrapped tightly around her neck. "Do you know what would've happened if this thing wasn't made out of some high grade steel mesh my clan made? My vocal cords are delicate dammit! " She looked down at him and kicked the side of his head.

"Ow..."

Kira's face twisted up in rage and slammed the bottom of her foot into Koyaiba's stomach. Koyaiba coughed loudly, not failing to notice the flecks of blood that came from his mouth.

_I am probably going to die._

Koyaiba stared up at Kira, whose outline was already going fuzzy around the edges. Who would've thought? Mere weeks after Rhea's death, and already the second member of Team Juro was about to bite the dust. Above him, Rika took a deep breath and opened her mouth, preparing a finishing scream.

_No. No, that's not going to happen. _

_Rhea didn't give up. _

As Kira's mouth opened, Koyaiba's foot lashed out, hitting her in the knee. Letting out a gasp of surprise, Kira toppled over, and Koyaiba grabbed her, spinning her around before slipping his fingers under her forehead protector and yanking down. Hard.

Kira's eyes bulged as her air was suddenly and viciously cut off, her scream caught in her throat. She began to panic as she realized the attack was too far along to stop, but Koyaiba refused to let go.

There was a loud squelch.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Koyaiba woke up to Sakura bandaging up his chest. The younger genin crouched over him, her hands steady as she wound tape around the more serious cuts and bruises. Twisting his head, Koyaiba managed to catch a brief glimpse of Kira's corpse. He gagged. The ninja no longer had anything above the shoulders. Trapping the scream in her throat had worked after all.

"You're really beat up," Sakura said when she saw he was awake. "I wouldn't move too much."

"Ow," Koyaiba said. "How come you don't look like shit?" Sakura shrugged. "Have you found Naruto and Sasuke yet?"

"No."

"Well let's hope they can pull out a victory, because I am in no condition to help."

"Yeah."


	6. Teamwork

Naruto only had a few seconds to move before a single swing from Ryo's enormous sword put him through a tree.

Fortunately, that was plenty of time for his fingers to form the familiar seals to his trademark jutsu. "Shadow Clone Justu!"

Instantly, upwards of a hundred Naruto filled the trees above Ryo, all smirking. Ryo's head cocked to the side and his eyebrows narrowed, but he managed to cut clean through the first two Naruto that attacked him. They disappeared in puffs of smoke, and Ryo grinned.

He spun in a full circle, eliminating an entire wave of Narutos before leaping into the air and kicking a few in the teeth. He cut the legs off of three more and punched through at least five that had conveniently lined up for him. He twitched slightly as he felt a different presence changing him from behind, and spun around almost quicker than the eye could follow, grabbing his new attacker by the neck and slamming him into the ground. There was a puff of smoke as the henge disappeared, leaving a very shocked Sasuke Uchiha on the forest floor.

"Sasuke?" All the clones shouted in unison, staring dumfounded at their teammate. "What the hell? This is my fight!" All of them paused for a moment. "Jinx!"

Sasuke ignored them, snarling and kicking up, his foot connecting with Ryo's chin. The sound ninja flipped into the air, effortlessly knocking aside the Narutos that tried to take advantage of his momentary disadvantage. He landed on top of two clones, dispersing them, and cutting a swath through the Shadow Clone horde with a flurry of blows Sasuke could barely see with his Sharingan.

Sasuke was just about to re-engage when a firm hand grabbed him by his his shoulder and pulled him away from the fight. "Sasuke. What are you doing here?"

Sasuke turned to see Naruto, presumably the real one. "Helping you out, idiot. You didn't think you could handle this guy on your own, did you?"

Naruto smirked. "Of course I can. Watch how it's done Sasuke!" He turned back to his Shadow Clones, which in in the process of dying in increasingly horrible and creative ways.

"If I ever want to die, you'll be the first I talk to," Sasuke said dryly. "But this guy's good." Naruto rolled his eyes and turned back to the fight.

Ryo's sword was lodged in a tree, and the sound ninja was currently trying to pull it out and fight Naruto's Shadow Clones at the same time. Two clones charged him from behind, but without so much as a glance in their direction he flipped into the air and knocked their heads together, dispersing them. Finally managing to pull his sword free, he began cutting down clones with wild abandon.

Naruto gaped. "How did he _do_ that? Does he have eyes in the back of his head?"

"He's blind, idiot," Sasuke said, watching Ryo intently with the Sharingan.

"Sasuke, be reasonable. How could he fight us if he's blind?"

"Was the headband over the eyes not enough of a tip off for you?" Sasuke snarled. "The guy's blind. That's why he's wearing the bells. He imbues the sound with chakra and waits for it to bounce off something. A mission's wage says that he can sense chakra levels, and thats why he thought you were mildly competent."

Naruto pouted.

Ryo decapitated the last clone, rubbing his shoulder and grinning as he approached the two genin. "Thanks for the warmup," he said. "We've been cooped up in that stupid base for ages. I was getting rusty."

"You'll be more than rusty after I'm done with you!" Naruto shouted, bringing his hands together. Ryo shook his head.

"Not again, kid." He kicked out, and Naruto's finger broke with an audible crack. Naruto stumbled back, staring at his broken fingers in shock. Sasuke stepped in between the two, frowning.

Ryo grinned, cocking his head. "I recognize those chakras...you're an Uchiha."

"Yeah. So?" Sasuke threw a glance back at Naruto, who was grimacing as his bones popped back into place and began healing.

"So you must be Sasuke...I admit, I expected you to be a bit...taller."

In the blink of an eye, Sasuke had reached into his leg pouch and hurled three shuriken at Ryo. He dodged two of them but only managed to block the third with his hand, which he pulled out with a small frown.

"Sorry to disappoint."

Sasuke charged, kunai in hand, and swept his weapon towards Ryo's face. Ryo dodged back, bringing up his weapon, but Sasuke kicked it aside, shoving his kunai at the sound ninja's exposed throat. Ryo backpedaled, putting enough space between him and Sasuke so he could deflect the blow with a well place kick, but Sasuke pushed off his leg and swung around his body, aiming to hamstring his opponent.

Ryo backflipped over the genin, slamming the hilt of his sword into the side of Sasuke's head as he did so. Sasuke groaned involuntarily, rolling out of the way of a downward stab and struggling to his feet.

Ryo was about to land the finishing blow, but several Narutos crashed into his from behind, throwing him froward. Only a quick bit of fancy footwork stopped him from being impaled on his own blade, and he landed hard on his back.

The Naruto that had tackled him came in for a head but, but Ryo twisted his neck to the side and the clone dispersed as his face hit the ground full force. Ryo kicked the next one in the genitals as it fell from the branches, jumping to his feet and impaling the next two with a single sword thrust. All three poofed into smoke, and Ryo's head cocked warily.

He easily dodged a flying kick from another Naruto and spun his sword in an attempt to sever his attacker in half. Instead of simply taking the strike however, this one spun out of the way, rebounding off a tree and coming at him again.

Ryo sidestepped and grabbed Naruto's wrist, using his own momentum to hurl him into a tree.

"Fire Style: Grand Fireball Justu!"

Sasuke fell from the cover of the tree, fire streaming out of his mouth, and Ryo cursed silently. He dropped to a knee and rolled out of the way, coming up just in time to block a flurry of punches and kicks. Sweeping Sasuke's legs out from under him, he landed a solid hit on the genin's gut, but Sasuke hardly seemed to notice. He doubled and redoubled his efforts, even managing to land a few blows on Ryo before being battered away.

"He's too good," Sasuke panted skidding to a stop next to Naruto. "Can you buy us some time?"

Naruto nodded. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

"God, not again," Ryo moaned as a few dozen Narutos mobbed him.

Sasuke henged into Naruto and turned to his teammate. "This guy's too good to take on alone. We need to work together." Naruto nodded grimly.

"So here's what we do," They both said at the same time. Sasuke sighed impatiently. "You go first."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto watched carefully as Ryo finished off the last off the last of his clones. His hands flew together, and he heard Ryo groan as he finished the jutsu. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Dozens of Narutos popped into existence, and Naruto sagged. He was getting tired. Kyuubi chakra or not, he had his limits, and he was reaching them. They had to finish this guys fast, before his tiredness became too much of an issue.

After his clones had surrounded Ryo, a yell signaled that Sasuke was in position. Naruto yelled back, and his clones engaged Ryo.

As Ryo hacked his doubles to pieces, shouting curses at 'the idiot who created this damned jutsu', Naruto frowned. Something wasn't right. Ryo wasn't tired, but he wasn't going all out. Instead of lethal blows, Ryo was putting in just enough effort to disperse the clones.

_Uh oh..._

XXXXXXXXXXXX

_The day before the mission._

"Naruto!"

Naruto momentarily took his mind off ramen to turn and see who was yelling for him. Iruka was jogging down the street, waving to him and grinning. Naruto waved back.

"Hey Iruka!"

"Naruto, I need to talk to you about something really quickly."

"Over a bowl of ramen?" Naruto asked hopefully.

Iruka chuckled. "Sorry Naruto, not this time. I have a class in a few minutes."

"Fine," naruto said, sulking.

"Look, Naruto, I talked to Kakashi about your mission to the wave." Naruto opened his mouth to protest. He knew the lecture that was coming. Iruka, however, held up a hand. "No, it isn't what you think. He told me about your battle with Zabuza, and it's become clear to me that you still don't understand the true strength of the Shadow Clone jutsu."

Naruto frowned. _True strength?_

"Naruto, the thing about the Shadow Clone jutsu is it creates perfect replicas...look. If you create 10 shadow clones, how many of them will actually survive a hit?"

"One."

"Exactly. But the person you're fighting doesn't know which ones can't take a hit and which one can. He doesn't know which one is the real you. So he has to treat every clone like the real one. If he doesn't, and he just hits the real you and turns away...well, he's in a world of hurt. You have to mix with your clones Naruto. Do you understand?"

_Do you understand Naruto?\_

XXXXXXXXXXXX

_Right here, right now_

Naruto's eyes widened.

_He can tell._

_He could tell which one was really Sasuke, and he can tell which one is really me. _

_The plan won't work._

_It won't work._

Before he knew what he was doing, Naruto was charging through his clones, straight towards Ryo. Kunai in hand, Naruto screamed to codeword.

"TAKE THIS BASTAAAAAAAAAAARD!"

Ryo's head twitched and he turned, grinning from ear to ear.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Ryo stepped forward. It was the real kid. Thank God he had figured out the difference between him and the clones. The kid had something inside him...something that went beyond simple chakra...something the clones couldn't copy. He had no idea what it was, but he knew it made a difference between the kid and his clones.

And now the kid was presenting himself on a silver platter. He was wide open, moving too fast for his own good...Ryo found himself laughing as he plunged his sword past the kid's defenses (if they could be called that) and right towards his heart. His blade went a little left, but that was the kid's lung, and nothing could survive that...

All the other clones went poof.

Ryo was laughing too hard to sense Sasuke coming up behind him.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"TAKE THIS BASTAAAAAAAAAAARD!"

Sasuke's eyes widened. _What the hell..._

Sure enough, it was Naruto, the real Naruto, charging like a madman towards Ryo.

_No! Idiot! I was the distraction! My chakras stand out, he won't be distracted by you..._ But Ryo was turning. And Naruto had shouted the codeword. The plan was technically still in effect. Just in reverse.

Cursing, Sasuke took off towards Ryo while his back was turned, the clones giving him a wide berth. He barely noticed when all the clones around him disappeared. He only had eyes for Ryo.

He leaped into the air, kunai in hand. Ryo was laughing. He hadn't noticed him.

He didn't notice him until Sasuke shoved his kunai through Ryo's throat.

Ryo stopped laughing.

Sasuke hit the ground with a dull thud, staring at Naruto. Ryo had pulled his sword out at the last second, leaving an enormous, gaping hole in Naruto's chest.

"No..."

Naruto could heal. But that stab had punctured his lung, severed at least one major artery. "Naruto! Don't move! I'm going to get Sakura...she has medical supplies!"

And Sasuke was gone.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto didn't really hear much of Sasuke's desperate promise. He had stopped really caring after he saw Ryo's body hit the ground. They had done it. They had won...

Too bad he wouldn't live to see it.

Naruto watched as a leaf fell from the tree above him. So peaceful...so calm.

The leaf suddenly stopped.

No, that wasn't quite true. It was still moving, as far as Naruto could see, but it was moving slowly. Incredibly slowly.

_What...happened?_

_**Do you want to live?**_ A voice asked. Naruto frowned. Or at least, he thought he frowned. He couldn't really move.

_Who...Fox?_

_**Do you want to live?**_

_What are you doing? Have you slowed down time?_

_**Don't be ridiculous. I've **_ _**simply used my chakra to hyper-accelerate your brain.**_

_..._

_**I'm making you think faster. **_

_Oh. Am I dead?_

_**Again, don't be ridiculous. You're not dead. Not yet.**_

_That not yet didn't sound very promising._

_**It never does. Do you want to live?**_

_What do I have to do?_

_**I can accelerate your healing, but not with the limited chakra leaking past the seal. I need more to work with.**_

_Why?_

_**Why what?**_

_Why are you saving me?_

_**Because if you die, I die. And I'm not planning on dieing anytime soon. Look brat, your brain cells are dying by the bucketload just to have this conversation. Either accept my offer, or don't. Weaken the seal, or die.**_

_...Fine._

Naruto weakened the seal.

Immediately his body felt like it was on fire. Red chakra poured out of him, rushing to his chest and mending the enormous hole. Naruto was treated to the picture of his lung patching itself together and his artery growing and rebinding. Ew.

Finally, the chakra began to fade.

_**I cannot heal all of it, not with this little chakra. But you will live.**_

_Neat. Thanks, stupid fox._

And there was silence.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"He's right over here!" Sasuke shouted frantically, Sakura and Koyaiba following close behind. "He isn't going to last much longer, hurry up..."

"Sasuke..." Sakura said slowly. "Naruto...looks okay."

"I mean, he does have a pretty bad cut," Koyaiba said, struggling not to collapse to his

knees, "but he'll live. Sakura, you might as well bandage him up anyway."

Sasuke stared.

"So...when are we going to investigate the base?" Sakura asked, wrapping the bandages around Naruto's chest.

Koyaiba chuckled. "Fuck that. Let's just go home."

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Author's Notes: And so wraps up the first arc! By the time the next chapter rolls around, it'll be time for the chunin exams...but don't expect me to rehash cannon. It'll be different this time around...heeheehee.

The chunin exams will give Koyaiba a chance to see all the Konoha 12 together, and when the grace period between the preliminaries and the finals rolls around he'll most likely be heading out for another mission. So have fun!


	7. Prelude to the Chunin Exams

Chapter 7

Koyaiba breathed a sigh of relief when they finally spotted Konoha's massive gates off in the distance. They had been gone far too long; injuries had slowed them considerably, extending their three day trip into a five day one.

Koyaiba was actually the most injured, he had extensive bruising everywhere. Naruto's wound had healed...incredibly fast actually, and didn't even leave a scar. Koyaiba couldn't for the life of him figure out how that was possible, though it could have something to do with the kid's enormous chakra pools.

Come to think of it, he had never heard of an Uzumaki clan. Could it be possible Naruto had a bloodline limit dealing with regeneration? But no, Naruto didn't seem like someone who would keep quiet about something like a powerful bloodline limit. It was probably just something unique to him.

Speaking of Naruto, where was he? Koyaiba frowned and glanced around. Naruto had dropped behind the group and was speaking with Sasuke in low tones. Odd, but good. Those two needed to build some teamwork.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Naruto."

Naruto turned to look at Sasuke, who was looking at him intently. "Yeah?"

"I need to talk to you," Sasuke said in a quiet voice, Jerking his head to the side. Naruto nodded and fell in beside his team mate. "Look. About your injury-"

"Sasuke, it was nothing," Naruto said, grinning. "Believe me, I thought it was worse at first too, but it was no big deal."

"No," Sasuke said, the barest hint of a snarl creeping into his voice. "I know what I saw, Naruto. You heal fast, but _nobody_ could've survived that. Your lung was punctured, at least one major artery completely severed. You should be dead. What happened?"

Naruto looked at Sasuke. He wasn't going to give up. "Can you keep a secret?"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

A few hours later, Koyaiba sat in the Hokage's office. Ibiki and Kakashi stood behind the Hokage, who was looking at Koyaiba intently.

"So you're saying..." Sarutobi said, sighing and rubbing the bridge of his nose, "that I sent Team 7 on _another_ A rank mission?"

"I wouldn't call it A-rank," Koyaiba said, shrugging. "B-rank is more like it. Though they pulled through incredibly well. Sasuke and Naruto even managed to team up and take down Takahairu Ryo."

"He was responsible for the death of a jounin, isn't that correct Ibiki?" Sarutobi asked. Ibiki nodded. "I'm impressed. But your other mission. How did that go?"

"Well, I guess," Koyaiba said, shrugging. "I didn't get to talk to Sasuke a lot, but I managed to get plenty of interaction with Naruto. If there's any resentment there about his mistreatment with the villagers, He's hiding it well. And Sasuke, well, fighting to the death with Naruto, um, again, has hopefully helped form a bond between them. They're definitely closer now than they were when we set out. And Sakura..."

"I don't think we need to worry about Sakura."

"Yeah, neither do I," Koyaiba admitted, nodding. "She seems the most normal."

"Anyways," Sarutobi said, fiddling with his pipe, "The Grass and the Rain have come to a tentative agreement, so the Chunin Exams will be beginning next week. You'll be playing a heavy part in proctoring the exam Koyaiba, so you'll be able to see these kids under stress."

"Yes, Hokage-dono."

"Study hard, and report to my office in three days time for a debriefing. You are dismissed."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Sasuke stood next to Naruto, waiting outside the medical offices. He was idly kicking the rocks they found on the street, a scowl on his face Sakura had said she wouldn't be long, but it had already been about ten minutes, and Sasuke was hungry.

He couldn't stop thinking about Naruto's secret. They were more alike than Sasuke had originally thought, both standing outside the crowd because of their ability. (Though on opposite sides of the spectrum) Both had grown up relatively friendless, alone...

"Hey guys!" Sakura's shouted, jarring Sasuke out of his inner brooding. "My shoulder's all fixed now!" It was still bandaged, but as Sakura explained as they walked down the street, this was to prevent it from opening itself again. "Medical justu is really interesting," Sakura said, speaking mostly to Sasuke. "I think I might specialize in it. It's highly recommended to have at least one medic ninja per team you know."

"So...Sakura...Sasuke," Naruto said, putting his hands behind his head. "We just got back from our second tough mission. How about we celebrate? At Ichiraku's?"

Sakura looked annoyed and opened her mouth to refuse, but Sasuke stepped in before she could. "Sure. Why not."

"Really?" Both Sakura and Naruto asked at the same time.

"Yeah. I'm hungry. C'mon, we can race. Lat one there pays," Sasuke said, smirking.

"Alright!" naruto said, grinning. "On three! One-"

Sasuke took off.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Alright Koyaiba-san, you're all fixed up."

Koyaiba let out a sigh of relief as he rolled his shoulders. "God, thank you Kabuto. I don't know what I would've done If I had to live with that a moment longer."

The silver haired genin smiled. "It's no trouble Koyaiba-san. I'm happy to help."

"Hey, good luck with the chunin exams man. You deserve a promotion this time around."

"Thanks," Kabuto said, beaming. "Seventh time the charm huh?"

Koyaiba chuckled as he exited the medical ward. Kabuto was a good guy. Koyaiba hoped he got a promotion this year.

"So how was your mission?" Minori asked as Koyaiba pushed open the door to their house. "Everything go ok?"

"Well, we got ambushed by a group of sound ninja," Koyaiba said, "but otherwise no biggie."

Minori frowned. "Come on Koyaiba, don't be sarcastic. I'm only trying to be interested."

"Yeah, yeah. Look, I need some of your psych books. Mainly stuff dealing with intense pressure."

"What's with the sudden interest in psychology? You never seemed eager to learn about it before," Minori said, picking a few books out of the mountain around her and handing them to him

"I dunno," Koyaiba lied, flipping through the first book. "Just seems interesting I guess. Mom and Dad back from their mission yet?"

"No. They got routed to the Rain-Grass border to make sure nothing violent happened. They'll be back by the end of the Exams."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Koyaiba nearly flew to the Hokage's office three days later.

The last few days had been hell. He couldn't sit still, because every time he did, thoughts of Rhea filled his head, driving him to the edge of insanity. He had to constantly be moving, listing what he had to do, focusing on anything, as long as it kept his mind occupied. He read through the psychology books with wild abandon, impressing even his sister with how fast he absorbed the information.

He tried to find Rika, but she and her new team were gone for the exams. Some kind of diplomatic mission to the Stone, Koyaiba wasn't sure of the exact details.

His thoughts ground to a sudden halt when he entered the Hokage's office. Most of the other chunin assigned to the exam were already there, waiting patiently for the Hokage to tell them what was going on. Koyaiba noticed his old academy teacher, Iruka, on the other side of the room and nodded politely. Iruka flashed a few hand signals that Koyaiba was about half certain read: _Meet me outside when this is done?_

Koyaiba nodded, and Iruka looked satisfied.

A few minutes later, once everyone had arrived and was seated, Sarutobi stood up. "Hello," he said, looking over the assembled chunin. "You've been called here because you've been selected to help with the chunin exams."

"The exam will be divided into thee stages, as many of you should remember from your exams," Sarutobi continued. "Stage One is a mental test run by Morino Ibiki. I'm going to need these Chunin to step forward: Hagane Kotetsu. Kamizuki Izumo. Kohinata Koyaiba. Kaguya Chishio. Momoku Isamo." Sarutobi continued listing names, but Koyaiba didn't pay much attention. "All the chunin I just called _except_ for Hagane Kotetsu and Kamizuki Izumo will be proctoring the first exam. Ibiki will explain to you the rules."

Ibiki nodded respectfully and stepped forward. "The written exam will consist of 10 questions, all well beyond a genin's intelligence. The test's focus of course, will be how well they can gather information. If you notice someone cheating, make a mark next to their number. When they have been caught cheating five times, they are disqualified, and you will call them and their team mates to leave."

"Uh, Morino-sama?" One of the chunin asked. "What if one proctor sees one person cheating, and another sees them cheating? How will we know they've cheated twice?"

"Good question," Ibiki grunted. "The paper we're using is imbued with...well, I don't know the technical stuff well enough to explain it, but safe to say when one person makes a mark on theirs, it appears on everyone else's. The paper hasn't been used before, this is it's field testing. Make us proud."

The chunin nodded and sat down, waiting a few minutes for Sarutobi to finish briefing Kotetsu and Izumo on their "special" assignment.

"The Second part of the exam will be run by Mitarashi Anko-" Sarutobi was interrupted as nearly all the chunin broke out into a large groan. "Come now, she isn't that bad."

"Yes she is!"

"Wait, she isn't _here_, is she?"

"Hello children."

Nobody moved. Nobody breathed. Everyone just stood stock still and tried to become a part of the wall as Mitarashi Anko walked up to the Hokage. She turned and fixed her eyes on the assembled chunin, a cocky grin on her face.

"Ahem," Sarutobi said, smiling a bit himself. "Anyways, The Second portion of the exam is survival, and will be held on training ground Forty-Four." Several low whistles broke out, and Koyaiba felt a twang of sympathy for the genin. His second test had been brutal, and the Cloud's "Horror Mountain" had nothing on the Forest of Death. "The following chunin will need to step forward," Sarutobi said. "Kohinata Koyaiba-"

Koyaiba groaned as the other chunin started snickering. "Rookie's luck!" One shouted. Koyaiba decided to give him a good whack with his yari when the meeting was over.

Still, they were right. Koyaiba the only reason he was being shoved into two exams was because the Hokage wanted him to observe the "Rookie 12" but to the others, it looked like the newest chunin in the village was getting the worst assignments.

Sarutobi finished explaining the second task, which basically consisted of Koyaiba, Anko, and a few other chunin and Jounin watching the exams via hidden cameras.

"Gekko Hayate will run the third exam, and any preliminaries if they are needed. Naturally only my guards will be needed for the preliminaries, but I expect all of you to be at the finals. Am I clear?"

"Yes Hokage-dono"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Koyaiba!"

Koyaiba looked up to see Iruka coming towards him. "Iruka-sensei! Hey!"

"No need for the sensei Koyaiba," Iruka said, grinning. "I'm not your teacher anymore, and besides, we're both chunin now."

Koyaiba shrugged. "Whatever you say Iruka-sama. Did you want to talk to me about something...perhaps something with blonde hair and a bright orange jumpsuit?"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Go, my genin! Earn your promotion with the power of YOUTH!"

Lee made his trademark "thumbs up" pose, while Tenten sighed and made sure nobody was watching. Her sensei could be so _weird_ sometimes.

Neji did nothing. It would take a lot more than a weird sensei to make him show any emotion whatsoever.

"I am so glad you have finally entered us in the Chunin Exams Gai-sensei!" Lee shouted, going over one of his many note filled books. "I cannot wait to show the world the power of hard work!" He turned to Neji. "Perhaps I will even be given the chance to defeat you, Neji!"

Neji did nothing. It would take a lot more than a weird teammate to make him show any emotion whatsoever.

"I am glad you are showing the proper enthusiasm Lee!" Gai said, the sun glinting off his inhumanly white teeth. "Truly, you have embraced my teachings, and the power of YOUTH!"

Lee's eyes began to water. "Gai-sensei..."

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

Tenten tried to blend in with the wall. Could this day get any worse?

Neji did nothing. It would take a lot more than a weird team to make him show any emotion whatsoever.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"See that," Kiba said, pointing to the spandex clad ninjas that were currently crying all over each other, "_that_ is weird. Letting Akamaru eat at the table? Not weird."

"Gai _is_...odd," Kurenai said, looking over at Gai and Lee. "But Kiba, no matter what your clan customs are, if you are eating at my house, you are abiding by my rules. Akamaru can't eat the table." She averted her eyes from Kiba's face, glancing upwards at where Akamaru was perched on top of her genin's head. "Sorry Akamaru."

"Bark!"

"So how do you guys feel about the Exam?" Kurenai asked, trying to change the subject.

"Our skills have improved drastically since leaving the academy. I feel we should at least match, if not outperform the other teams in our age group," Shino said in his detached manner.

"Hell yeah! We're gonna kick their asses! High five Shino!"

Kurenai smiled. It was nice to see how Kiba and Shino - two completely different people - could form such a strong friendship. "What about you Hinata?"

"Kiba and Shino are...very skilled. We will do well..." hinata aid hesitantly. Kurenai tried to keep her concern off her face. She had known Hinata was hesitant about entering the exam, but had entered because she didn't want to disappoint Kiba or Shino. She was worried about the girl.

"Well, just focus and do your bests. I'm sure you'll all do great."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"This is so troublesome."

"Shikamaru, if you don't stop saying 'troublesome', I'm going to take Chouji's chips and shove them up your-"

"That _would_ be troublesome."

"SHIKA-"

"C'mon guys, don't fight," Chouji said, stepping solidly in between his two team mates. "Save that for the exam, ok Ino?"

Ino sniffed and turned away.

"How are you guys doing today?" Asuma asked, walking up to his genin team. "Ready for the Exams?"

"I've got my my snackpack," Chouji said with a grin, holding up a large bag filled to the brim with food. "So I'm prepared."

"Nice work Chouji. How about our married couple here?"

"HEY!" Ino shouted.

"C'mon Ino, you know I'm joking. Did you all get a good nights sleep?"

"I slept all last night, and all yesterday too," Shikamaru said. "It was very relaxing. I wish I could do it again today. Taking an exam is so...troublesome."

Ino made a lunge for Shikamaru but Asuma managed to grab her wrist and spin her around. "Ino. Plenty of time for fighting later. Look, Kurenai's team is coming. You don't want to embarrass yourself in front of them, do you?"

"You mean I don't want to embarrass you in front of Kurenai?"

"No comment."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Alright, the Chunin Exams! My first step in becoming Hokage! Believe it!"

Sakura looked in awe as Sasuke actually smiled slightly at Naruto's antics. This past week the Uchiha had seemed almost..sympathetic to Naruto. When he wasn't off training in the Uchiha district that is.

"Are you ready for the Exams Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked. Sasuke looked back at her as if in deep thought, pausing for a few minutes before finally speaking.

"I think so Sakura. I think so."

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Authors Notes: Yes, Sasuke is beginning to act a tad OoC. Though I prefer to think of it as simply speeding up what would've happened if Sasuke hadn't left at the end of Part 1. Sasuke understands a bit of Naruto now, and without Orochimaru warping his brain he's actually beginning to like Naruto a bit. And seeing Naruto's outlook on life is also changing his interaction with other people...hence treating Sakura like a human being at the end of the chapter. Safe to say by the end of Part 1 Sasuke's going to be very different than he was in canon...and who knows hw that will make things play out?**


	8. The First Test

Chapter 8

"Well this is a bit of a dramatic entry," Koyaiba muttered, careful not to let Ibiki hear him talking.

"Yeah, well it's mainly to unnerve all the ickle-geninkins before the first test. Gotta be intimidating and all, the big bad chunin," Daiyu said, shrugging.

"I guess. I've never done a mass shunshin before, got any tips?"

"Koyaiba, it's the same things as a normal shunshin. Just don't miss, and be sure to strike a tough guy pose. Most of the genin are already so nervous they won't bother to criticize your technique."

"Fine...But do we have to wear the stupid matching uniforms?"

"They are stupid, aren't they? Isn't the leaf all about the individual? So why do we all have to dress the same for this stupid thing..."

"Alright, our cue's in five!" Ibiki shouted from the head of the group. Koyaiba sighed and readied himself, gathering his chakra to his feet.

"Four...three...two...Go!"

There was a puff of smoke as the two dozen assembled chunin rocketed forward, careful to stay in order. When they reached their destination Koyaiba stuck his feet to the ground and tried to summon up what he hoped was a cocky smirk.

"Thanks for waiting..." Ibiki said from the front of the group. Koyaiba heard some of the genin gulp. "I am Morino Ibiki, the examiner for the chunin selection exam's first test." He pointed over at some guys from the Sound village, who looked like they were harassing Kabuto and...Naruto.

Koyaiba sighed. Why was he not surprised?

By the time Koyaiba resumed listening to Ibiki, he was already explaining the first test to the assembled genin. Koyaiba sighed and sat down in one of the empty chairs, careful not to look at anyone from Team 7. He was supposed to be indifferent...and he didn't want to be indifferent to their faces.

Instead, he busied himself with keeping an eye out for anyone who cheated. Most of the students were still figuring the nuances of the test out - and only the three chunin they had planted in the exam had really started writing.

No, wait. That wasn't quite true. Sakura was writing as well. Koyaiba paused, but after a few minutes of careful observation, he grinned. Sakura wasn't cheating, not as far as he could tell. She just knew all the answers.

Unfortunately for the other genin, they weren't all that lucky. Koyaiba caught several cheating after only 15 minutes...and from the marks appearing on his paper, everyone else was too.

Finally, Koyaiba caught someone who already had four strikes. "Number 42. Gone. Get your teammates and get out," He said in a bored tone. Daiyu offered his hand where none of the genin could see it, and they quietly high-fived.

Koyaiba glanced up at the clock often, but the minutes still seemed to blur together as he and his fellow chunin eliminated anyone careless or unskilled enough to get caught.

Number 112.

Number 23.

Some of the genin refused to give in, to believe they had been caught. They had to be dragged out of the room. Daiyu had to knock one unconscious, but Koyaiba didn't have any problems.

Until number 60.

"Number 60, that's five. You're done."

"No!" One girl screamed, shooting to her feet so fast Koyaiba swore she must've shunshined. She, however, was number 71. So why... "Karasu, you _idiot_!"

Ah. Teammate. This wouldn't be good...

"Karasu shrugged." I'm sorry, alright Saki? This isn't my specialty."

"Hey, keep it down," Koyaiba said, glaring at both of them. They were from the Waterfall, and that was odd, because the Waterfall genin were usually so well behaved. _Bad apples in every basket I guess._

Karasu and Saki, however, didn't seem to hear him. "Not your specialty? Then what is your specialty? Failing at everything you try?"

"I'm a medic nin! You didn't think I was so useless when I was fixing your arm after you fell off a cliff did you?" Karasu fired back. Koyaiba stood up, sighing.

"Good luck," Daiyu whispered.

"Ugh!" Saki screamed, and for a moment Koyaiba thought she was literally going to attack her teammate. "You are so pathetic! You probably got caught because you gave your answers to _Akiko-chan_!" She said the last part in a very high, very sarcastic voice, and Koyaiba saw the girl sitting next to Karasu go very red.

"I..." Karasu said, face reddening. "I...really did screw your sister that one time!"

_Ho-boy._

This time Saki did attack Karasu, launching herself across the table. Ibiki shot Koyaiba a warning glare and Koyaiba ground his teeth, vanishing in a puff of smoke. He reappeared between the two, sweeping Karasu's leg out from under him and chopping Saki's neck mid flight. "Where the hell is their third teammate?"

"That'd be me," a large, round face genin said. "Sorry about them, they're always at each other's throats. I got it from here." He sighed and slung Saki over his shoulder, grabbing Karasu by the ankle and unceremoniously dragging him out the door.

Koyaiba rolled his eyes and sat back down. Daiyu was shaking, he looked like he was about to start cracking up any minute.

Nearing the end of the exam, one kid had the balls to talk back to the chunin that had called him out, Hairu Torisho. He got slammed against the wall faster than he could blink and was given a stern talking to about how they were the elite chunin of the hidden Leaf. Koyaiba snorted, and tried to figure out how Torisho managed to see with all those bandages over his eyes.

Finally the tenth question arrived. The moment of truth, you might say. Koyaiba listened through the surprisingly epic description of the tenth question Ibiki gave and it slowly dawned on him that Ibiki was a pro.

The speech was, to put it bluntly, incredible. The man put all the right accents on all the right words, dragging out pauses in between words to gain maximum effect. The genin were visibly sweating by the end of it, and Koyaiba knew it was a matter of who made the first move.

"I..won't take it!"

Ah. There is was. Number 50, from the Leaf. He would be the one who started it.

"I quit!"

"Me too!"

They couldn't handle the pressure. And the weak ones cracked, bringing their teammates down with them. it was exactly like a mission; a three man cell had to be perfect. If one failed, the other two would pay for their mistake. That was the way these things went.

Koyaiba kept an eye on the genin he had been assigned to watch. They looked nervous of course, but none of them were raising their hands. None of them seemed to be giving in yet...

"Don't underestimate me!"

Koyaiba's head jerked up. _What the hell..._

"I will not run!"

Koyaiba snickered. That was Naruto all right. Only he would do something so...rash.

"I'll take it! Even if I'm a genin forever...I'll will myself to becoming Hokage anyway, so I don't care! I am not afraid!" Naruto roared at Ibiki. He sat down in a way that managed to end the discussion for good, no matter what anyone else wanted to say.

Koyaiba's grin broadened as he glanced around. Not only had Naruto's speech eased everyone else's worries, even the ones who were still nervous would never let themselves back down after something like that. Anyone who left now would be worse than trash, pathetic losers who couldn't handle something even a rookie fresh out of the academy could.

Naruto had a way about him...

But Ibiki, being Ibiki, still had to confirm this turn of events. "I'll ask you again. Your life is riding on this decision. This is your last chance to quit."

"I never go back on my unbending word...that's my ninja way."

And that sealed the deal.

Ibiki sighed and seemed to admit his defeat to himself. Koyaiba suppressed a snicker as he realized Naruto had just beaten Ibiki at his own game...his inspiring confidence had won out against Konoha's torture and interrogation specialist's age old techniques.

When Ibiki announced that all the genin remaining had passed the first test, there was a lot of stunned disbelief.

"Wait...what do you mean?" Sakura asked. "We already pass? What about the tenth question?"

Naturally, some people were a little...upset that Ibiki had put them through the first nine questions if the tenth one was the only one that mattered. Koyaiba heard some strangled cries and protests, but a girl from the sand was the only one who managed to put it into words.

"Hey! Then what were the first nine questions for! They were pointless!"

This led into the grand reveal of "the true purpose of the test" that Koyaiba really couldn't be bothered paying attention to. He and Hiro, who was sitting across the room, were playing tic-tac-toe on their magic paper. Somebody else was drawing a large number of penises.

This was interrupted when Anko came summersaulting through the window.

"Ah! Shit!" Koyaiba muttered, instinctively jumping to his feet. Daiyu snickered and pulled him down before anyone noticed, but Koyaiba wasn't sure that was the best idea. If Anko was in the room, he needed to be read to run.

"You guys! This is no time to be celebrating!" Anko shouted, standing proudly in front of her giant banner. "I am the examiner for the second test! Mitarashi Anko! Now let's go! Follow me!"

Nobody moved.

All of the chunin began making bets as to which genin wet their pants, so Koyaiba missed the rest of Anko's little spiel. Something about too many teams this time.

But finally, Anko led the rest of the genin out. Daiyu gave Koyaiba a fist bump for good luck, and Koyaiba changed into his normal clothes before jumping out the window and heading towards the Forest of Death.

It was time for the Second Test.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

AN: So, that was the first chapter that didn't change POV once. Very Koyaiba centric. I'm not sure if I like that too much. Of course, the next chapter will be very similar, as I don't just want to rehash cannon, so I'll be sticking to the POVs we haven't seen yet - maybe I'll show the other teams' time in the forest.

Anyways, I'm going on vacation for 2 weeks, so don't expect any updates for a while. Thanks for reading!


	9. Training Ground 44 Part I

Chapter 9

Kiba had to admit, the forest of Death was impressive.

Of course he had seen it before. Anyone who had ever even visited Konoha had seen the infamous training ground 44. But it seemed so much more intimidating when you were about to enter it.

"What do you think Hinata?" He asked, leaning towards his Hyuga teammate. "Check it out with your Byakugan."

Hinata nodded, and Kiba felt Akamaru twitch as Hinata release chakra. "Byakugan." Hinata was silent for a moment, the shuddered as she deactivated her bloodline jutsu. "It's crawling with...things," she whispered. "Animals...traps left by other competitors. It's dangerous in there Kiba. We need to be careful.

"My bugs inform me there is an unusually large colony of Leaf jumping leeches just inside the forest. This might be the best place to launch an ambush," Shino said in his usual monotone, pushing his dark glasses up the bridge of his nose.

Kiba grinned. "Good job guys. Shino, tell Hinata where the leeches are. Hinata, see if you can find any traps set up near them so we have a fallback. I want to be prepared for whatever this test is."

Shino nodded wordlessly and leaned in to whisper the location of the colony in Hinata's ear. While they were coordinating, Kiba scouted out the rest of the genin. Naruto was...well, being Naruto, and as usual, was being punished for it. The creepy instructor who had introduced herself as Anko was laying a little heavy on the weird vibes...and another genin could use his tongue as a hand.

Kiba shuddered. Creepy. But more importantly, Anko was handing out papers.

Agreement forms, she called them. So if they got injured (or killed) in the forest they couldn't hold Konoha responsible.

Kiba didn't take this as a good sign. Beside him, Hinata began visibly shaking, and Kiba put a hand on his teammate's shoulder. "Calm down Hinata. We have a plan. We'll be fine."

But Hinata did not stop shaking. Kiba frowned and threw a glance at Shino, who nodded slightly sideways, pointing out an orange clad ninja.

Kiba took the hint. "C'mon Hinata, focus. You don't want Naruto to see you frightened, do you?"

The effect was immediate. Hinata's face was a bright shade of scarlet, but at least she wasn't shaking anymore. Kiba listened to the rules of the test, a grin spreading over his face.

"Ha! Survival is our specialty! Don't get soft on us Hinata!"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Koyaiba rolled his shoulders with a sigh of relief. He really hated that chunin uniform. But he wasn't required to wear it for the second test, which was a relief.

He was assigned to unlock Gate 27 for the genin team that would be entering through it, and he was a few minutes late. Leaping up onto the fence, he began running across the top of it, skidding to a halt at Gate 27.

The genin team was already there, staring at the gate anxiously. Koyaiba took a moment to recognize them as Asuma's team. The famous Yamanaka-Nara-Akimichi combo.

"Thrilling," Koyaiba muttered to himself as he dropped down to the ground, pulling a heavy key out of his pocket. Team 10 eyed him apprehensively as he unlocked the enormous gate. "Good luck," he said as the signal came to enter the forest. "You'll need it."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

As soon as Team 10 was out of sight, Koyaiba entered the forest. He knew the direct route to the tower, but he had to be careful to stay away from the genin. He wasn't supposed to touch any of them, and they might not believe them if he told them he was actually a chunin, and certainly _did not _have a scroll.

He leapt from branch to branch, carefully watching for any traps that might still be here from previous chunin exams.

A sudden sound from his left put him on edge, and he looked over to see three pairs of eyes staring at him from a pile of leaves that had accumulated on a branch. Koyaiba tsked, bringing his hands together in a few unfamiliar seals.

Koyaiba had never worked much with genjutsu. It was effective once you got good, but Koyaiba didn't have the patience to get good with it. Luckily, his illusions would only have to be good enough to at least distract the genin.

The air became hazy, as if he was in the desert. Several more hand seals made the air swirl around him, temporarily obstruction him from view. "Substitution jutsu."

With a puff of smoke, he appeared in a tree a few meters above him and to the left, not pausing to look before continuing to run. If he was going to make it to the tower at the appointed time, he would have to hurry.

~"All chunin. This is Anko to all chunin."~

Koyaiba pulled up short as Anko's voice buzzed from the radio in his ear. The jounin sounded stressed and anxious. This couldn't be good.

~"We have reason to believe an S-class missing nin - Orochimaru - is in training ground 44."~

Koyaiba felt his insides turn to ice, wither up, and die.

Orochimaru.

_The _Orochimaru?

~"That isn't possible!"~ Koyaiba heard one chunin protest. ~"Orochimaru? I heard he was dead!"~

~"He doesn't even exist!"~ Another chunin said. ~"He's just a fucking scary story! 'Eat your vegetables or Orochimaru will get you!'"~

~"Don't be an idiot Hachi! Orochimaru is real! I swear!"~

~"I heard he took down an entire country!"~

~"I heard he was actually the one to kill the Fourth!"~

~"EVERYONE SHUT UP!"~ Anko roared. Koyaiba stumbled back and tried to rip the radio out of his ear. He felt like his eardrum had just exploded. ~"Orochimaru exists and is alive! He did not kill the Fourth, or take down an entire country, but he _is_ real, and he _is _dangerous. I want all available chunin scouting training ground 44! Be on the lookout for a trio of grass genin, one of which has a prehensile tongue! If you find Orochimaru, you are to contact me and the ANBU _immediately_. Do not engage, I repeat, _do not engage_. You'll only serve to get yourself killed! Now go! Gogogogogogo!"~

Koyaiba shot from his perch like a rocket, mind spinning at a million miles per hour. Orochimaru hadn't been seen in the village since Koyaiba was 3, and he wasn't very happy when he left. If he was back, it was not good news.

But why was he back now? Konoha certainly wasn't at it's weakest - it had prospered since the Fox attack, and with the chunin exams taking place, there were dozens of jounin in the village. So what was Orochimaru planning?

~"I've found him!"~

Koyaiba's eyes widened in shock.

~"Daiyu?" Anko shouted through the radio. ~"Are you sure? What's your position?"~

~"I'm absolutely positive!"~ Came the reply. ~"He just summoned a ton of snakes and is giving orders to the other grass ninja! I'm in B-4!"~

~"Hold your position! Everyone, get to B-4!"~

~"It's no good!"~ Daiyu shouted. ~"Orochimaru's about to leave...I won't be able to keep up with him! I have to engage!"~

~"Daiyu, listen to me! Do not engage under any circumstances-"~

~"I have to! I'll delay him until you guys arrive!"~

"Daiyu!" Koyaiba shouted through the radio. "Daiyu, you idiot, you're going to get yourself killed!" But it was no use. Daiyu wasn't listening anymore.

He looked down at the small map of the forest and noticed that he was in square B-2, probably closer to Daiyu's position than anyone else. Pushing all his available chakra to his legs, he tore towards B-4, desperately praying he would make it in time to help his friend.

Long story short?

He didn't.

Koyaiba burst through the canopy just in time to see Orochimaru dash Daiyu's brains against a tree trunk. The missing nin flicked his hair contemptuously and kicked the body off the branch before disappearing.

Koyaiba managed to catch Daiyu's body in mid-air, his feet glowing with chakra and sticking to the side of one of the Forest of Death's many massive trees.

"Is he dead?"

Koyaiba turned to his right to see Anko standing beside him and nodded grimly.

"Which way did he go?"

Koyaiba pointed.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Author's notes: Haven't updated in a while, really pushed myself to bang out this chapter just for you guys. Hopefully the quality didn't take too much of a dive. It is shorter than I normally like, but at least the Kiba section stretched it out a bit (did I mention how much I love Kiba?)

In the next chapter, the stunning conclusion to the Second Exam! Coming soon to an internet near you!


	10. Training Ground 44 Part II

**Chapter 10**

"I'm sorry for your loss."

Koyaiba didn't say anything. There was work to do. They were going after Orochimaru, but his two associates, the other "genin" that had made up his team, were still missing. They could still be with Orochimaru, but Koyaiba doubted it. Orochimaru worked alone, and would've ditched those guys at the earliest convenience.

But how was he supposed to find them? Koyaiba lay Daiyu's body down on one of the massive branches, pausing for a moment to close his dead friend's eyes, and tooked around.

The surrounding area showed typical sighs of a high intensity ninja battle. Huge dents and scorch marks on the surrounding trunks, shattered branches and deep cuts. But nothing to show which way Orochimaru's associates might've gone.

Unless...

Koyaiba grit his teeth. He really didn't want to...but how else was he supposed to cover the area quickly? The more he waited, the farther away they got.

Koyaiba sighed and reached into his weapons pouch, pulling out a small red scroll. With a flourish, he opened it and lay it down on the branch below him, pulling out a kunai as he did so. He slashed the kunai across the back of his hand, waiting for a moment as the blood dripped onto the scroll and slowly vanished.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu."

There was a puff of smoke, and suddenly a pyramid of squirrels popped into existence in front of him.

"Sup guys?" Koyaiba asked, trying to muster a grin.

"KOYAIBA!" The squirrels shouted in one, high pitched voice. They all tackled him at once, sending him stumbling backwards, and Koyaiba waved his arms frantically to steady himself.

"Whoa! Whoa! Guys! Calm down!"

"Koyaiba! We were-"

"No I wanna tell him!"

"No me!"

"Screw you Saito!"

"Hey don't make fun of Saito like that!"

"You're just defending him cause he gave you his nuts yesterday!"

"Well we all now you just want to get under Ai's tail-"

"WHAT? Are you serious-"

"Guys!" Koyaiba shouted, causing all the squirrels to shut up and look up at him guiltily. "This is serious! Konoha's in danger right now!"

"Daiyu?..." One of the squirrels said quietly, hesitantly poking Daiyu's body.

"Daiyu's dead," Koyaiba said. "He was murdered by a dangerous criminal. That's why I need you guys."

All the squirrels looked up at him in horror, their tails twitching in a manner Koyaiba had come to associate with disbelief. "The criminal had two friends," Koyaiba continued. "They can't have gotten far. i need you guys to find them."

"SIR YES SIR!" All the squirrels shouted, snapping to a salute at the same time.

"There's two of them," Koyaiba said. "Grass headbands, remember those? The ones with the spiky lines? One's wearing a skull mask. Now go!"

Immediately all the squirrels shot off with a speed and determination that surprised Koyaiba. Using the "Scouting Seven" as they enjoyed calling themselves was always a risk. They were fast, competent, and highly intelligent, but tended to be scatterbrained and disorganized, unable to grasp the severity of the situation.

There were no such problems now.

Barely 30 seconds later, Ai hit him in the back of the head like a guided missile. "Koyaiba! Koyaiba! I found 'em!"

Koyaiba turned and nodded. "Show me. And make sure I can keep up."

Ai squeaked in acknowledgement, tearing through the branches so fast Koyaiba could barely follow her. She was itching to go faster though, her body practically vibrating with nervous energy. "There!"

Koyaiba skidded to a halt beside her, looking down to where the small squirrel was looking. Yes, there they were, effortlessly taking out some unlucky genin team who had managed to acquire both scrolls.

"Can't have the unimportant teams reach the end," One said as he beat the genin's face it. "Master Orochimaru wouldn't like that."

"Wind Style! Four Part Air Cannon Jutsu!"

The first burst of air hit grass ninja One in the back, throwing him off the branch he was standing on. He pulled a chain out of his pouch and threw it, managing to stick the sharp end into the tree, but Koyaiba was already there, slamming the bladed end of his yari into the chain and breaking it. The ninja screamed for a while before hitting the forest floor with a sickening crack.

Ninja number Two sent Koyaiba flying with a sledgehammer blow from behind. Koyaiba grunted in pain, flipping over in mid-air and bringing his yari into a defensive position.

Ninja Two charged him, and Koyaiba leaned back, smacking away the first punch with the butt of his yari. With one swift, powerful motion, he drove the blade of his yari into the ninja's chest.

But the ninja snapped his hands together, catching the blade inches before it pierced his skin. His hands began to glow with chakra, and Koyaiba watched in horror as his Yari began to melt. "What the hell..."

"Surprised?" The ninja asked, smirking. "I'm a Donanyo, a possessor of the Heat Flash bloodline."

Koyaiba snarled. Bloodlines were never good.

"We can superheat our chakra," Donanyo continued, still smirking. "It makes us all but immune to fire based jutsu...and wind jutsu barely scratch us either."

Koyaiba began to panic.

Donanyo formed a few quick hand signs, and an orange chakra lashed out from his palms. Koyaiba rolled to the side, barely avoiding the strike, and the trunk behind him caught fire as the chakra struck it.

Koyaiba popped up and threw three shuriken at Donanyo, but he dodged them and attacked with more chakra. Koyaiba leapt onto the trunk behind him and began running off it, dodging more chakra as well as some superheated kunai.

He leapt off the trunk, grabbing a branch and swinging out of the way of yet more attacks, landing on the branch behind Donanyo. Donanyo chopped downwards, his hands glowing with orange chakra, but Koyaiba spun out of the way.

Denied his yari, Koyaiba had to come up with a new plan of attack. He kicked his right foot towards Donanyo's head, his torso falling towards the ground. Just as Donanyo was about to block, he grabbed the ground beneath him and pulled, stopped his foot midair and reversing the kick. His left foot hit Donanyo's neck with a crack, sending the ninja flying through the air.

"Booya," Koyaiba muttered, shunshin-ing in front of the now dazed Donanyo. He brought his foot down to crush the ninja's throat, but Donanyo rolled out of the way and grabbed Koyaiba's ankle.

Koyaiba screamed in pain, wrenching his foot away, but the damage was already done. He could barely feel his ankle, let alone move it. He tried to limp away, but collapsed, and Donanyo shot another tendril of superheated chakra at him...

Koyaiba grabbed his thigh and whipped his leg up, the chakra hitting him in his already damaged ankle. Thanks to the previous burning, all he felt was a sharp sting. Dropping his leg, he formed five hand signs.

"Wind Style: Wind Clone jutsu!"

Five Koyaiba's suddenly materialized behind him, colorless outlines that wavered inconsistently.

"Kid," Donanyo said, smirking, "Wind. Doesn't. Work. On. Me." He began stalking forward, ignoring the new clones.

Koyaiba grinned.

The first of the clones shot forward with incredible speed, blurring as it did so. Donanyo's eyes widened, but the clone seemed to lose coherency and pass _through_ him, reforming and skidding to a halt a few feet behind Donanyo.

The ninja doubled over, coughing and holding his stomach. His shirt was torn, and there were several fine scratches on his face thanks to the clones' attacks.

The other four clones had now spread out in the blink of an eye, surrounding Donanyo. One sprinted forward, but stopped only inches away as another attacked his now exposed back. Donanyo tried to counter but the two clones were already gone, followed up by yet another blitz from the fourth clone.

Donanyo whirled to counter, but the fifth and third clones hit him in the sides, sending him to one knee. The first clone followed up, the second and fourth clones close behind. Donanyo tried to counterattack, but he was visibly slowing, unable to keep up with the clones' high speed maneuvers. They continued to harry him with attack after attack, and while not formidable on their own, they were quickly wearing the ninja down.

Koyaiba, meanwhile, was focused on patching up his ankle as best he could. Wind clones were annoying - they weren't capable of completely independent thought, so their orders had to be spelled out - but once Koyaiba created an attack pattern they managed to follow through fairly well. Donanyo should be done in about 3...2..1...

There was a thud.

With a grimace, Koyaiba released the wind clones. Their expressionless faces faded, and Koyaiba worked on pushing himself up.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Luckily, he was able to use his melted yari as a makeshift walking stick, or Koyaiba never would've made it to the tower. His ankle was on fire (figuratively speaking) and by the time he arrived in the infirmary, he felt like he was about to collapse.

The medics fixed up his ankle, removing all but a bit of scarring, and he managed to pop a soldier pill or two, but he still wasn't at his best. His yari had been sent to Konoha's blacksmith, but wouldn't be ready for a few days.

"So what now?" Koyaiba asked, testing out his ankle.

"We wait for the second exam to end," His medic said. "We still have several days, so you can get some sleep if you want."

"I'll sleep later," Koyaiba said. He felt like crap, but the soldier pills wouldn't let him sleep. "What do I need to do?"

"Well you're an active chunin as of..now," The medic said, making a check on his clipboard. "So you'll be briefing the surviving genin teams on the next exam."

"And how exactly..."

POOF

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Koyaiba appeared very suddenly in front of three ninja.

"Uh..." Koyaiba said, trying to get his bearings. "Oh. I guess..." He glanced down at the last ninja curiously. His eyes were closed, and there was a large bloody gash on his neck. "Hey is he-

"We pass right?" His teammate said anxiously, shuffling into Koyaiba's line of sight. Koyaiba frowned.

"Well not if he's-"

"He's fine, alright?" The genin said sharply. "He's just sleeping."

"Yeah..." Koyaiba said, arching an eyebrow and bending down over the "sleeping" genin. A quick check confirmed his suspicions. "You know the rules guys," Koyaiba said, shrugging. "Dead teammate means no pass. I'm sorry for your loss."

"No!"

The genin stood, rage on his face. "No! I did not survive this hell just for him to die 10 seconds away from the door! I did not come this far just to fail!"

Koyaiba grabbed the genin's wrist, face calm. "Kid. Calm down. Accept facts. Your friend is dead. You fail."

"No I do not!"

Then the genin punched Koyaiba in the face.

The blow caught Koyaiba off guard and threw him to the ground, the genin standing over him.

"Look," Koyaiba said, biting back a snarl. "I have had a _really_ bad day. My friend is dead. My ankle is sore as hell. And I! Do not! Have the patience! For YOU!" He grabbed the genin by the collar and threw him, sending him skidding through the door into the preliminary arena.

The kid bounded back up, but Koyaiba was already there, slamming him halfway across the room with a roundhouse kick. The genin struggled to his feet and retreated to the top of the hand sign statue. Koyaiba followed him, and with a particularly rage filled punch, sent him flying through a wooden slot in the wall.

When the genin fell to the ground, Koyaiba could see the remains of the busted scoreboard.

_Crap..._

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Um, now. There are no more retiring, right?"

"I feel like I should retire," Shikimaru muttered to Chouji. "Maybe then I could just relax."

"Don't you dare!" Ino snarled. "I will not let you embarrass me in front of Sasuke-kun! What would he think if one of my teammates backed out?"

"He probably wouldn't care..." Shikimaru said, sighing, "but whatever. I've made it this far, there's no point in quitting now right?"

"Yeah," Chouji said. "You'll do great Shikamaru."

Shikamaru grinned. He had never once regretted the decision to befriend Chouji.

"What is that cry baby saying to Sasuke-kun?" Ino said, peering off towards Naruto's group.

Shikamaru glanced over. Sasuke and Sakura were arguing about something, so quietly he doubted even Naruto could hear most of their conversation. Eventually Sasuke gave Sakura a look, shook his head, and turned around.

Curious.

A moment later, Sasuke grimaced, and his hand moved upwards, but he stopped his reaction a millisecond after it happened. Even more curious. Was Sasuke injured?

But this train of thought was quickly brought to a halt as Hayate began speaking again.

"Um...Now...Let's begin the preliminary," he said, coughing slightly. "The preliminary will consist of one on one fighting. You will basically fight as if in a real life confrontation. Since we now have exactly 20 entrants, we will conduct 10 matches and...There are basically no rules. The fight continues until one of you dies or is knocked out, or admits your defeat. Umm...if you don't want to die then quickly acknowledge your defeat. But when I decide that the winner has been clearly established...Um...since we don't want to pointlessly increase the amount of corpses, I'll jump in and stop things."

Shikamaru groaned. "So now we just pray we get somebody weaker than us."

"Naruto, Sakura, Hinata," Ino whispered back. "Cross your fingers."

"Now see," Hayate said, picking up a bowl, "we were originally supposed to use an electronic scoreboard to randomly produce match ups. But, somebody" he said, glancing at a dark skinned chunin standing next to the Hokage, "Broke it."

The dark skinned chunin rubbed the back of his neck and looked away.

"So," Hayate continued, "We're going to be forced to draw names out of a bowl. You won't be paired against teammates in this round, so if that happens we'll redraw. Everyone got it?" He reached into the hat and pulled out two pieces of paper, reading them aloud."

"Hyuga Neji...and Kankuro."

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

AN: Long Authors Notes today, but some things need to be said. Firstly, thank you for all my reviewers. You are the reason I continue this story and the reason I've been able to push past my all too familiar writing block. Secondly, I understand the timeline of the second test might be a little...off. But with onemanga and mangafox no longer carrying Naruto, and mangareader giving me an error screen every five minutes, it's difficult to keep track of what happens when exactly. So feel free to change the chapter around to fit with the correct timeline, as I know there are mistakes. As long as you keep the gist intact, it should be fine.

And lastly, the prelims have started! Yay! (This was always my favorite part of the manga) updates should come more frequently, along with plenty of battles that never happened in the manga. Enjoy!


	11. Silence

"Hyuga Neji vs...Kankuro."

Neji nodded. He was to be first then.

Next to him, Tenten smiled. "Good luck Neji!" She whispered, turning towards him. "I'm sure you'll win!"

"If it is fated, it will happen," Neji said, stepping forward to accept the challenge. He could almost _hear_ tenten deflate behind him, and for a moment felt bad. Tenten wasn't a bad teammate. In fact, Neji guessed that he preferred her out of any of the other graduates from his class. He made a mental note to make it up to her. Maybe smile at her later today. That always cheered her up.

"Neji!" Guy said, stepping in front of him and gripping his student by the shoulders. "You must believe in yourself! When in doubt, remember the power of youth!" He struck a pose, thumbs up and teeth gleaming

"I'll keep that in mind," Neji said, walking past his mentor.

"Neji."

Neji almost didn't glance back. But he did. And just as he expected, he saw Lee standing behind him.

Lee nodded at him. "Win. If you do not, I cannot face you in the finals."

Neji turned back to his opponent. "If we fight, you will loose."

Behind him, Lee sighed. "We will see about that. But first, you must win here."

Neji said nothing, walking to the middle of the stadium. His opponent, Kankuro, stood in front of him, looking bored. He was dressed in a black outfit with a hood, and purple face paint lined his eyes and mouth. There was something wrapped in bandages on his back, and he was smirking in a very self satisfied way.

Neji looked towards Hayate expectantly. The battling ground was now clear, and he wanted the match to begin. He was ready for this fight. Eager, even. He did not know Kankuro's destiny, but something told him he wasn't going to lose today.

He still had to make it to the real third round. There, surrounded by ninja and civilians from all across the continent...thats where he would show how strong he really was, even compared to the Main House.

Because that would be his revenge. It wouldn't set him free...but maybe it could give him a taste of triumph. Almost unconsciously, his eyes drifted towards where Hinata was standing. If he could beat her...

Well, the taste would be all the sweeter.

He squashed that thought the moment it came up. She was too weak. She would never make it past the preliminaries.

_She's made it this far..._

He shook his head a fraction of an inch to both sides, a movement only someone watching him very carefully would've been able to detect. The first test had practically been built for Byakugan users (he wouldn't have been surprised if Hiashi had set it up that way) and her teammates doubtlessly did all the work in the forest. She was too weak to have made it this far on her own merit.

_But still..._

Neji turned his attention, to Hayate, who was holding his hands up and coughing. After a moment, he spoke. "Both contestants ready? Alright, begin!"

Neji's hands flew together, forming the seals necessary for his clan's bloodline as fast as possible. He needn't have worried about speed however, as Kankuro was taking his time. The sand genin pulled the bandaged package from off his back and stood there, waiting for Neji to make a move.

As soon as his Byakugan activated, Neji knew why.

"Hn," he muttered, looking back and forth between Kankuro and his puppet. _So that's his deal. A puppeteer. _

After Neji's Byakugan removed annoying, trivial things like solid barriers, he was able to see the whole situation so much clearer. "Kankuro" wasn't Kankuro at all. Rather, he was Kankuro's puppet. The real Kankuro was actually wrapped in bandages, waiting for Neji to move.

Neji arched an eyebrow.

This was going to be easier than expected.

Neji raised his hands, settling back on his heels in the traditional gentle fist style. He waited for a moment.

And waited some more.

Neither genin moved.

"Uh, you can, *cough* start now," Hayate said, looking back and forth between them. Neji didn't move. He was patient. He could wait.

Kankuro broke first.

"He" charged forward, laying the bandaged package on the floor before he did so. He raised his hands forward, palms out, and Neji charged.

And spun. Right around his opponent.

With the Byakugan's 360˚ vision, he could see the startled faces of the onlookers. The only ones who didn't seem surprised were his team's and Hinata's. Of course, the jounin present knew something was up. They just didn't know exactly what...

Neji struck the bandaged package square in the chest. There was a flash of blue energy, chakra being released from his hands, and the package twitched, and "Kankuro" slumped to the ground.

Everyone stared. Neji made sure his blow had defeated the puppeteer, and landed another one, just to make sure.

Hayate raised his eyebrows, looking back and forth between Neji and the bandaged package. Realization dawned on him.

"Is he out?"

Neji nodded. Hayate raised his right hand. *Cough* "The winner is Hyuga Neji. The next match will be picked momentarily."

Neji calmly walked up the stairs to the walkways on the side of the room, rejoining his teammates.

"Great Job Neji!" Tenten said, giving him a quick hug. Neji allowed her to do it. This way, he didn't have to smile.

"The way you beat him in one blow, that was amazing!" Tenten said, grinning as they leaned against the wall. "Well, two blows...but you really beat him in one, so..." she continued talking, and Neji looked over to Gai. The jounin instructor gave him a thumbs up, and Neji turned his attention to Lee.

Lee nodded. Neji nodded back.

Some things didn't need to be said.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Alright," *Cough* "the next match is about to *Cough-cough* begin," Hayate said, holding up the bowl. "The second match will be Akado Yoroi vs...Temari."

Temari didn't really expect to get any kind words. Baki simply told her that she was not to embarrass herself or her father, and Garaa said nothing. He seemed to be in control though, which was...nice. Temari was glad the leaf genin's victory over Kankuro had not drawn blood.

But these were fights. Blood would be drawn, sooner or later. And then?

Well, it would be up to Garaa to stay in control.

Temari repressed the urge to shudder as she leapt off the railing and onto the ground. She still felt uneasy about this entire plan. Letting the invasion hinge on _Garaa?_ Yes, he was their greatest asset, but he wasn't really...well...reliable.

Not only that, temari wasn't too sure why they were invading. It was not like her father, who had been relatively distrusting, to suddenly agree to ally himself with the Sound. Not that she knew much about her father.

Come to think of it, he had never really been her father. He had been the Kazekage. Duty before family. Temari found this line of thought...questionable. At best. Just look at what it had done to Garaa.

And Kankuro really wasn't much better, though he seemed not to see it. He was angry, cold, resentful towards Garaa, only adding to his little brother's mental issues. Though she supposed she wasn't in any situation to criticize. She hadn't exactly been the ideal big sister either.

It was hard to, with a brother like Garaa.

Her opponent was a leaf ninja, an unremarkable one to say the least. He was one of the oldest genin in the room, matched only by his teammate, who coincidentally, had a matching outfit.

Cute.

His face was covered by a loose mask, the type noble women would wear if they wanted to make a statement, except unfashionable (not that it was difficult to be unfashionable, Temari had yet to find one that didn't make her cringe) He also seemed to be wearing sunglasses.

Correction, the lenses of sunglasses.

How did that even work?

"The match will begin on my mark. Go!"

Yoroi charged forward almost immediately, his hand glowing with chakra. Temari whipped her fan off her back and used it to block Yoroi's first strike, pulling it back and swinging at his knees.

Yoroi leapt up to avoid the attack, but it gave Temari all the time she needed to unfurl the fan and let loose a gust of wind. "Kamaitachi!"

Yoroi was blasted backwards, hitting the wall with a thud. Spidery cracks began to form in the wall around him, but he dropped to the ground relatively unharmed.

Of course, Temari wasn't done.

With another swing of her fan and another yell of "Kamaitachi!" Yoroi was once again flung into the wall. He managed to brace himself this time, lessening the impact, but Temari wasn't even finished warming up yet.

Yoroi was a painfully limited fighter. Whatever technique he was using was a short ranged one, fit for taijutsu. The minute he stepped up against a long or even mid-range fighter like herself, he was going to get destroyed.

Temari, while generally a mid distance fighter, could at least hold her own when it came to taijutsu. This...this was pathetic, really. Temari almost felt bad for this Yoroi.

The least she could do was put this fight out of it's misery.

"Kamaitachi!" Temari swung the fan, funneling most of her chakra into the bottom portion of the attack. Yoroi lifted his arms to defend his face, but the chakra enhanced bottom half knocked his legs out from under him. Temari shot forward, closing her fan and swinging it in an overhead blow, completely crushing crushing Yoroi's arm. Temari did her best to block the blood from Garaa's line of sight.

Hayate looked at Yoroi for a moment, checking to see if he was going to get up.

Temari thought it was quite obvious that he wasn't, but she rested the end of her fan on his back, just in case.

Hayate shrugged. That seemed to be enough for him. "Winner, Temari."

The medic nin carried Yoroi out on a stretcher, careful around his broken arm. Temari walked back up the stairs towards her team.

Baki nodded in approval, and Garaa was silent, his face unreadable. Temari supposed that was better than the alternative.

It was hard, with a brother like Garaa.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

**AN: **Ouch guys, no reviews? Am I doing something wrong? Anyway, no Koyaiba in this chapter, I wanted to help balance out the Koyaiba heavy chapters we've been having recently. As you can see, we're stepping away from canon - brace yourselves, because it will be the first of many.

Also, I wanted to say something now. I'm looking for an artist to draw Koyaiba for me, as I lack any artistic talent whatsoever. If you can draw him, (I don't care how bad it is, but please at least try) I'll feature an OC of yours in a later chapter, or perhaps write a one-shot of your choosing. PM me if you're interested, and I'll send you the description.


	12. Acceptance

**Chapter 12**

"I suppose that in light of our...current situation, you were unable to work on your assignment."

Koyaiba glanced down at the Hokage, sitting on a small throne overlooking the preliminary battlefield.

"No, Hokage-dono."

The Hokage sighed. "Please, Koyaiba. Stop with the -donos. I find them quite tedious."

"Yes, Hokage-d...Hokage," Koyaiba said, frowning slightly.

"Much better. It isn't too much of a loss, we managed to get some good footage from our hidden cameras. You and Ibiki can go over them later.

Koyaiba nodded. "Hokage...permission to speak freely?"

The Hokage glanced up at Koyaiba, smiling slightly. "Granted."

"I don't agree with your decision to leave Sasuke in the tournament, Koyaiba said, speaking slowly. "I don't know much about Orochimaru, or these cursed seals you and Anko-sama were talking about...but they're dangerous, and from what I've heard they greatly warp the psyche of the bearer. Sasuke's on rocky psychological grounds as it is...an outside influence like that could tip him over the edge."

"You agree with Anko, then? That we should remove him?"

"Yes, Hokage. And..she seems to be the authority on these curse seals. And Orochimaru."

The Hokage frowned. "Koyaiba, you understand that all this information is highly classified, correct?"

"Of course Hokage."

"I don't mean chunin or even jounin security either Koyaiba. This is anbu-level information. Secrets about someone as powerful as Orochimaru are valuable. And I don't want to give you that burden unless you're sure you're ready to handle it."

"I...guess I'm already in, Hokage. At least partially."

"That you are," the Hokage said, nodding. "That you are...Anko knows about the seals because she is one of the few ninja that were subjects in Orochimaru's experiment and survived. But her relationship with Orochimaru was always a slave-master one. I taught Orochimaru. I know how he thinks. If we pull out now, we'll be playing into his hands...I don't know how, but we will. The only way to beat Orochimaru is to play off his ego. Make him believe he's won...and spring the trap. Do you understand?"

"I...think so, Hokage."

"I have faith in Sasuke. He can overcome this...anybody who can survive their entire family being killed is tougher than they look..." As he said this, the Hokage's face seemed to darken, to cloud over.

"What happened wasn't your fault Hokage," Koyaiba said quickly. "Nobody knew about Itachi...he was the ideal ninja..."

"That he was," the Hokage said. "But sometimes I wonder...if I had been smarter, faster, wiser...could I have found a way to avoid it?"

"Hokage, Itachi had even the best psychologists fooled. Nobody has any idea why he did it. Some people are just evil. There was nothing you could've done."

The Hokage said nothing, simply watched the announcement of the next match.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"The next match will be Tsuchi Kin vs. Haruno Sakura."

_Her_

Sakura's eyes widened a fraction of an inch, despite her best efforts to control them.

"Alright! Go Sakura!" Naruto cheered, looking over at her. "You're gonna kick this sound girl's ass!" Sakura cringed at Naruto's language, but secretly marveled at his...casualness with cursing. Her parents had never approved.

She threw a glance back at Sasuke, who was sitting on the ground, holding his neck and cringing. He gave her a half smile that came out as more of a grimace (or maybe it was a grimace that she wished was a half smile) and looked away. Kakashi put a hand on her shoulder.

"Fight smart."

She leaped over the rail, the cheers of Lee and Naruto still ringing in her ears.

Kin was taller than her, her hair long and...styled, Sakura couldn't help noticing.

_If you have time to treat your hair, then train you female swine._

"Hypocrite," Sakura snarled, walking towards where Kin waited in the center of the arena. Her hand drifted to the pouch on her leg, patting in re-assuredly. Kakashi had said fight smart. There wasn't much else she could do.

"You both *cough* know the rules," Hayate said. "Begin."

Kin was in motion immediately, surprising Sakura with a quick needle. Sakura rolled to the left, her eyes involuntarily shifting as she heard a small jingle. Upon quick inspection, Kin had thrown two needles - and attached to one was a small bell. The other one had nothing.

"So that's your game. The Mayu trick. From the First Ninja War" Sakura's mind flashed back to a history class, only a few years ago. She had been paying attention to Sasuke, but remembered the basics behind the technique, which used one bell to distract the opponent, while the other needle slipped in unopposed.

"You talk too much," Kin said, drawing several more needles. She threw them at Sakura, who crouched in preparation to jump out of the way.

A bell jingled.

_Behind me?_

Sakura's head swiveled, trying to locate the source of the noise. She immediately regretted it, as several needles sunk into her calf, setting the side of her leg on fire.

"Looks like you didn't quite understand my trick after all," Kin said with a smirk. Sakura grimaced as she saw the string in the enemy ninja's hand.

_She rang it to distract me. Stupid stupid stupid!_

She tried to move her leg, but Kin was deadly accurate with her needles, and had pierced several important nerves, preventing her from doing much more than shuffling with her leg. Kin chuckled, slowly drawing more needles from the pouch at her leg. Sakura grabbed several kunai and hurled them, but she simply spun the needle in her hand, deflecting them.

_She's drawing this out. She wants to humiliate me. _

Kin smiled as she considered her needle, finally tossing it off to the side. "Not flashy enough. Finishing someone with needles is so boring." She pulled a scroll from her pouch, quickly laying t across the ground. After a few quick hand motions, she slapped her palm down on the scroll. There was a puff of smoke, and in her hands was a large windmill shuriken. "I don't like these as much," she said conversationally, "but I think for you I'll make an exception." She pulled her arm back and let fly.

Sakura's hands slammed together. "Substitution Jutsu!"

There was a puff of smoke, and Sakura punched Kin in the face.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Sasuke's eyes widened, and the sudden shock overcame the fresh wave of pain from the mark on his neck.

"What the hell was that?" Naruto shouted from beside him, his jaw nearly on the floor. "How did she do that?" Sasuke struggled to his feet, trying to get a better view of the arena. Sakura stood a few feet in front of Kin, her leg riddled with needles. Kin lay in the floor, he expression shocked - and her jaw very much broken. The windmill shuriken was imbedded in the wall behind them.

"She substituted herself with the windmill shuriken," Kakashi said, his one eyebrow arched. "That's...impressive."

"I didn't know that was possible!" Naruto said, staring down at the arena. "You can do that?"

"Well, you couldn't," Kakashi said. "It requires ungodly amounts of chakra control, and this isn't one of those maneuvers where just throwing chakra at it will make up for it. Not only that, but the math involved is ridiculous if you want to substitute yourself with a moving object...and she did it right after it left Kin's hand. Best possible time."

"Sakura is truly amazing!" Lee shouted, his eyes sparkling with tears. He was gripping the railing so hard it was twisting under the pressure, and Sasuke was again reminded of how strong the strange boy was.

"But..." Naruto said, his face twisted in concentration. "But...if she could substitute with the shuriken...why didn't she do it earlier?"

"Not possible," Kakashi said. "Kin was still touching the shuriken at the time. Meaning her chakra was shielding it. It's literally impossible to swap with something another person is shielding."

"Sakura got lucky," Sasuke said, shivering slightly as more pain raced through his body. "If Kin had just used needles, there wouldn't have been enough mass to switch." Kakashi nodded at him approvingly.

"Ninja who prefer wowing their opponent over defeating them aren't true ninja at all. Sakura found that flaw and used it."

"Hey! She's getting up!" Naruto shouted, pointing at Kin. The sound ninja was indeed, standing up, though Sakura didn't seem to mind. She had used the time to pull most of the needles from her leg, and was now able to move well enough to touch her kunai up against Kin's throat.

"Do you *cough* surrender?" Hayate asked. Kin snarled, but Sakura didn't flinch, her kunai pressed solidly up against Kin's neck.

"Yes," Kin said finally, hanging her head as soon as Sakura lowered her kunai. Sasuke wasn't sure, but he thought he saw a flash of fear on the girl's face as she surrendered. And It was possible that the pain was just getting to him, but she seemed to be shaking as she stood.

"Sasuke, take this."

Sasuke looked up and saw Kakashi standing next to him, a small white pill in his hand. His eyes narrowed and he looked up at his sensei.

"What is it?" Maybe his voice had come out harsher than he thought, because Kakashi looked at him with mild worry.

"It's a pill. It should help with the pain. Now don't be such a drama queen and take it." Sasuke grit his teeth and nodded, grabbing the pill and downing it. The pain didn't fade completely, but it did lessen, and that was a drug all on it's own. He sagged, mumbling a small thank you as Sakura skipped back up to their spot.

"Sakura, you did great!" Naruto said, reaching out for a high five. Unfortunately, his eyes were closed as he did so, and Sakura wasn't very interested in returning the high five. Naruto, without the expected contact to balance him, hit the ground face first. "Dammit..."

Sakura sat down next to Sasuke, looking at him with barely contained fear. "Sasuke...are you going to be ok?"

_Typical,_ Sasuke thought. _Even when she has every excuse to celebrate she just has to come over and bother me._ Except somehow, it didn't seem to bother him as much. Maybe he was just grateful for someone to notice all the pain.

Except Kakashi of course. Kakashi didn't count.

"I'm fine," Sasuke said. "Kakashi gave me something for it."

"Maybe it would be best if-"

"Sakura, I'm competing in this thing. Accept that or get out of my way."

Sakura shook her head. "Fine."

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

AN: Blarg. Long time between updates. Feeling lazy, but I keep cranking it out.  
Firstly, a great thanks to Cali-Bunny for her consistent reviews! Her own story, Do Caged Birds Dream of Burning Tree Leaves, is fantastic. Everyone go read.

Go on. I can wait.

Decent chapter, at least in my mind. Sakura's fights are still a bit bleh for me, but I think I'm getting better with them. Still looking for someone to draw Koyaiba, so PM me if you're interested!


	13. Locked

"The next match...Aburame Shino vs Garaa."

Shino had known this wouldn't be easy.

He had good instincts. The Inuzuka always claimed that they were the best at sensing trouble, but the Aburames were no slouches themselves. They just kept quieter about it. Your enemy can't prepare for something they've never heard of.

That was the Aburame clan's maxim, and something they applied rigorously to it's young members. It was also why Shino had spent hours going over what little information was on the people who had passed the second stage of the test.

They had gotten lucky, Hinata and Kiba and him. They had found their scroll early, and had even gotten a glimpse of the red-haired boy he was about to fight.

From his brief glimpse of the boy in the forest, Shino knew he controlled sand - and further research indicated he was the Kazekage's youngest son, and the most talented of the Sand leader's children.

Not only that, but from scattered reports from Sand villagers attending the exams, diligent research, and more than a few late night reconnaissance missions, Shino had concluded that Garaa was the host of the one tailed Shukaku.

Everything added up. The Shukaku had broken free a little over 12 years ago but had been quickly resealed. The boy's mother had died during childbirth, a common symptom of bearing a demon container, and the boy never slept - all pointing towards a demon. Most specifically, Shukaku.

Shino was not looking forward to this fight.

"You got this Shino!" Kiba said, grinning like a maniac and slapping him on the back. _A little too hard_, Shino noted silently. _And his smile is forced._

Kiba had seen the boy in the forest. He was scared for Shino.

"Sh-Sh-Shino..." Hinata said, approaching him with her head bowed. "Please be ca-careful. Garaa is...dangerous."

Shino nodded, pushing his glasses further up his nose.

"Shino," Kurenai said, bending down so she was level with his eyes. "Fight smart. Fight hard. Forfeit if you have to, and remember that winning this one match isn't worth your life." Her voice sounded pained. "Please Shino, remember that. I wouldn't be able to take it if something happened to one of you." She pulled him into a hug, and Shino allowed himself to return it, if only slightly.

Garaa was waiting for him in the arena, his arms crossed, his eyebrows knit tightly together. He wasn't saying anything - he didn't need to. His gaze told Shino everything he needed to know.

Above and behind Garaa, the girl Shino had identified as Temari looked down worriedly. Whether in fear for or of her little brother, Shino did not know. It hardly seemed to matter now.

"Are the contestants *cough* ready?" Hayate asked, raising one hand. "Match, begin!"

Shino immediately hopped back, eyes on Garaa. The boy hadn't moved an inch, but sand was slowly pouring out of his gourd, surrounding him in a defensive ring. Shino had seen in the forest how the sand would protect him - a head on assault was not going to work.

Shino knelt to the ground and put his palms on the floor, still watching Garaa carefully. When the edge of his sleeves reached the floor, he mentally commanded the bugs hiding on his upper arms to drop to the ground, staying hidden as they maneuvered out of his sleeves.

A few nights ago, Shino had been watching Garaa from a distance. The red haired genin had been sitting under an apple tree when a fruit came loose and fell towards his head - and no sooner had it begun to fall than the sand around him shielded him, the apple falling harmlessly next to him.

The shield was automatic, but surely it couldn't activate every time _anything_ got close to him. There had to be some limit, but just what that limit was Shino didn't know. He directed his bugs towards Garaa, and they headed off one at a time, scurrying quickly across the ground towards their target.

After the bugs were safely on route, Shino stood, watching Garaa carefully. The boy was shifting impatiently, his eyes darting all over the place in preparation for Shino's attack.

Well, if he wanted a show, Shino would give him one.

Shino dashed forward, leaping into the air and bringing his foot down in a sledgehammer kick. The sand moved with lightning speed, blocking his strike and wrapping around his foot.

Shino twisted in mid air, bringing his other foot down, but more sand protected his opponent, gaining a grip on his second foot in the bargain. It threw Shino across the room, but the Aburame was able to somersault midair and land on his feet, skidding to a stop near the far wall.

He charged again, ducking low under the rush of sand that came for him and executing a spinning kick. More sand blocked his attack, but this time he was able to roll away before it could catch him.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"He's sure taking his time," Kiba muttered, fingers drumming the railing impatiently. "Why doesn't he get on with it already?"

"His bugs are in position," Hinata whispered, the veins around her eyes oddly bulged. "I do not understand why he does not simply use them."

Kurenai smiled, watching Shino duke it out with Garaa's sand shield. "Shino is patient. He's biding his time. And besides, I think he's enjoying himself."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Dodge. Kick. Pull back. Punch. Flip.

Shino was getting into a rhythm, and that was helping. His bugs were in place, right on the spot on Garaa's back that wasn't easily reachable, and Shino was distracting enough to keep the Sand Genin's attention occupied.

True, he was only getting a few bugs on his opponent, but a few bugs was plenty when applied he right way. Garaa wasn't like traditional opponents either. Shino was betting on him being physically weak - really all he needed to do was land a hit. If he could just hurt Garaa, get past his shield...would the shield fall without enough Chakra? He didn't know, but right now that was a minor concern.

Dodge. Kick. Pull back. Punch. Flip.

Was the shield slowing? Shino didn't know.

Dodge. Kick. Pull back. Punch. Flip.

This was going nowhere. Shino needed to divide Garaa's attention further. On his mental command, hundreds of bugs swarmed out of the surgically drilled holes in his neck, flying into the air and breaking into formations. He could hear the startled gasps from the crowd, not to mention a few sounds of disgust as people realized where those bugs must've come from.

It had used to bother him, people being disgusted. He had gotten over it.

The bugs dive bombed Garaa, slamming against the shield like tiny meteors. They were hurt, but not dead - Kikaichu bugs would be worthless if they died as easily as that. They rebounded off the shield and attacked again, but were again repulsed.

Shino called them off, sending another group diving in in their place. Th bugs were tough, but not invincible, and he had plenty more where the first group came from. He could afford to give them a chance to rest.

He recalled them, and felt them fly into his body, attaching themselves to his chakra coils and healing themselves. More bugs swarmed around him, throwing themselves vainly against Garaa's defenses. The red haired boy didn't seem bothered, bit was he looking more fatigued?

Then it happened.

The inevitable counter strike.

All Shino could remember was the speed of it. The sand around Garaa swirled up, forming a peaked dome, and suddenly expanded at a lightning fast rate, hitting several groups of Shino's bugs as it did so. They were killed instantly, and Shino _felt_ them die, their pain almost as real to him as his own.

Garaa's sand formed a twister and shot towards Shino, but the Aburame was able to leap over it, recalling his remaining bugs into himself. It was getting too dangerous - Garaa was suddenly far too aggressive. Had he noticed the bugs Shino had planted earlier? Or if his Shukaku theory was correct, had Shino...angered it?

The sand didn't stop coming, and Shino gained a flash of insight as to why it was the perfect weapon. It could reform itself into nearly any shape it desired, allowing it to adapt to any situation. Garaa couldn't be caught off guard, and really he would have to be killed by brute force - even Hinata's gentle fist would be worthless. Of Team 8, Kiba had the best chance of winning this fight. But Kiba wasn't out here. He was.

Shino dodged around another jab of sand, and charged forward, his forearms covering his face. The sand swept his feet out from under him, but he rolled sideways, avoiding a bone crushing blow from above and struggled to his feet.

He charged forward, leaping into the air while only a few feet from Garaa. It came to his attention that there was no longer any sand around the genin - even his gourd was gone. No sand meant no shield.

Even so, when Shino drew his kunai, he aimed for they eye. Hearts could be shielded. He plunged the kunai down towards Garaa's eye, silently apologizing for it...

Until he was blindsided by a rush of sand from behind.

It was so fast it didn't even register to him, leagues above anything he had seen so far. Shino was thrown across the room, trying to recover in mid air but failing miserably. He hit the wall with a thud and felt something crack...It was only his left shoulder. He didn't need that.

The sand hit him again, pinning him against a wall and hardening, encasing him in a cocoon like structure. He almost took a breath, but at the last second stopped himself - he didn't need a mouthful of sand.

In a moment, it wouldn't matter. He knew what Garaa was preparing. He had seen it before.

He wondered what dieing would feel like. Like what he felt when his bugs died, except...more?

"Stop."

Immediately the sand stopped.

"You win. Let go of him."

Shino felt the sand sliding off him, and he fell to the floor, gasping. Kurenai stood behind Garaa, her entire body blazing with chakra. Garaa stood frozen, his eyes wide, his face locked in a snarl as he tried to fight off the genjutsu. His pupils shifted from circles to squares back to circles...eventually setting back in their human state.

"Now sl-"

"No!"

That was the fan girl, Garaa's sister. And their Jonin. They were in the arena now, pushing Kurenai away, breaking the genjutsu. Garaa sagged, but did not sleep, slowly picking himself back up.

"Aburame Shino's guardian has forfeited on his behalf," Hayate said. "The match has been won by Garaa."


	14. Soundwave

"He put up a good fight," Koyaiba said as the medics walked Shino off the field. "And he's still standing."

"He would not be standing if it weren't for Kurenai," the Hokage said, his tone pensive. "She's made a good jounin. It was wise to promote her."

"What was that technique she used?" Koyaiba asked. "I've never seen anything like it before."

"That was the genjutsu technique known as Thought Manipulation," the Hokage said. "Most genjutsu, they affect our senses. Our eyes, our ears, our touch...sometimes even our taste. But Thought Manipulation affects the mind directly...the user hijacks the chakra to the brain and suggests things. The victim thinks it's coming from their own mind."

"It sounds like the Yamanaka clan technique," Koyaiba said, frowning. "They can't be too happy about that."

The Hokage snorted. "I don't think they care too much, to be honest. Seeing as Kurenai is the only ninja in the hidden leaf to be able to use it."

"That's impossible," Koyaiba said immediately. "The Uchiha could've copied it." He frowned. "It isn't a bloodline limit, is it? I've never heard of anything like that."

The Hokage shook his head. "Not a bloodline. Something different. It requires a very delicate balance to perform correctly. Too weak and it don't do anything. Too strong and your hold is too obvious - the victim will realize he isn't guiding his own thoughts and slip away. You saw it just now...Kurenai panicked trying to protect her student. If she had been calm there would've been no issue subduing Garaa."

"So it's all about chakra control? There's got to be more to it than that, or somebody would've picked it up by now."

"I don't know," The Hokage said, shrugging. "All attempts for a sharingan user to copy it have failed. They get the chakra manipulation down right, but there's an art to it, the lightest touch that nobody can get."

"That doesn't make any sense," Koyabia said, "but It's a powerful technique I guess. What are it's limits?"

"Kurenai hasn't been able to use it to make people do something radically against their nature," The Hokage said, "which means it's almost useless in interrogations. Any ninja village that doesn't train it's ninja to resist giving away information doesn't deserve to be called a ninja village. And the more a victim is subjected to it, the harder it is to subdue them." The Hokage shrugged. "Those are the biggest problems we've had with it though. Kurenai consented to have a seal put on her so the elders can subdue her should she ever go rogue."

"That's probably a good idea. That much power without restraint..."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"The next *cough* match is between *cough* Inuzuka Kiba and Kinuta Dosu."

"Heh! It's about time!" Kiba said, grinning. Akamaru barked happily from his perch on Kiba's head. "Wish me luck Hinata!"

"Good...Good luck Kiba. I am sure you will win," Hinata said, pushing her fingers together. Shino's defeat had unsettled her, and she wasn't sure if she was ready to see another one of her teammates enter the arena. But if Kiba thought he was read...

Kiba smirked. "Of course I will! I'm gonna get to the next round and pay back that sand guy for Shino!"

"Bark!"

Kiba leaped down to the arena, cracking his knuckles as he landed. His opponent, the sound ninja Hinata had seen before the first exam, was already waiting for him.

The sound ninja was an odd one. Hinata pressed her hands together into the all-to familiar hand signs, activating the Byakugan with a small burst of chakra. One of Dosu's arms was metal, with specially drilled holes that had to have some sort of purpose...but it was too late now. Kiba was down there, and her only hope was that he would be able to pull out a victory.

_Kiba will win,_ she told herself firmly. _Kiba is strong._

_He's not weak like me._

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Kiba hit the ground with a thud, cracking his knuckles as he did so. Shino's loss had upset him sure, but not in a bad way - it was like a fire burning in the pit of his stomach. He wasn't going to let that Garaa get away with hurting his friend.

And if he was going to reach Garaa, he would have to win this fight first.

"Ready Akamaru?" Kiba asked as they approached Dosu. "This guy doesn't look so tough."

Dosu made...a noise, a raspy, muted sound that was probably supposed to be a laugh. "I think you'll find me a suitable opponent, dog boy."

Kiba smirked. "You'd better talk while you can. Cause when I'm done with you, you won't be able to."

"Are both contestants ready?" Hayate asked, glancing back and forth between them.

"Just a quick question," Dosu said, never taking his eyes off Kiba. "In the Sound, they tell us the ninja of the Inuzuka clan sleep with dog partners. Is that the reason you came out so wrong?"

"Bastard..." Kiba growled, reaching for the pouch on his waist.

"Begin!" Hayate said.

Dosu jumped back, but Kiba didn't charge forward. Instead, he slipped his hand into his half opened pouch, coming up with two small black pills. "Akamaru!"

"Ruff!"

Dosu's one visible eye narrowed. "Soldier pills?"

with practiced ease, Kiba swallowed one soldier pill and threw the other to Akamaru. The dog chomped down on it, his fur turning red as the pill took effect. He leapt on up Kiba's head, growling in preparation for their usual tactic.

"Alright!" Kiba shouted. "Beast human-"

"Oh no you don't," Dosu muttered, holding his mechanical arm up. "I've heard of this technique.

There was a click from somewhere inside his arm, and a high pitched burst of sound hit Kiba like a bomb. With only his slightly enhanced senses, the pain was bad enough. Akamaru didn't even have time to whimper before he was out cold, blood trickling from his ears.

"Dammit!" Kiba shouted, grabbing at his ears. "Dammit!"

"Heh. Got the dog," Dosu said. "Only one to go."

Kiba ignored him, scrambling over to where Akamaru was laying on the ground. He was still breathing, and though unconscious, would be ok with medical attention.

Kiba stood, grabbing a kunai from his weapons pouch. He charged Dosu, who was shaking his mechanical arm with an alarmed expression.

"Oh come on..." he muttered, glancing up at Kiba. "I've gone higher than that before..."

Kiba slashed his kunai at Dosu's chest, but the sound nin blocked it with his metal arm, punching Kiba in the stomach a split second later. Kiba grimaced, but lowered his shoulder and charged, tackling Dosu and sending them both skidding across the floor.

Kiba reversed his grip on the kunai, stabbing clean through Dosu's mechanical hand and pinning it to the ground. He was in his element now - Inuzuka's wrestled from a young age, and Kiba had been adept before even joining the academy. He started throwing punches, and with Dosu limited to only one arm, it was little more than a slaughter.

Within minutes, Dosu's bandages were soaked in blood. And though he was getting in a good hit here and there, it wouldn't be enough to beat Kiba.

So the next time Kiba launched a punch, Dosu jerked his head sharply to the side. Kiba ended up hitting the cement ground, and he hissed in pain. That gave Dosu the opening he needed to put his foot on Kiba's chest a shove.

Kiba stumbled back, sure to keep between Dosu and Akamaru, still gripping his injured hand. It wasn't broken, but it was weak and unresponsive, and needed medical attention.

Of course, he didn't have time for medical attention. Dosu had yanked the kunai out of his hand and was approaching Kiba warily, eventually breaking into a run.

Moving back or to the side would leave Akamaru vulnerable. So obviously, there was only one way to go.

Kiba stepped forward.

Dosu had thrust the kunai at Kiba's chest, but the Inuzuka's sudden movement threw him off, and the kunai instead sank into Kiba's stomach.

Kiba bit back a howl of pain, grabbing Dosu's arm and driving his forehead forward. His forehead connected with Dosu's nose with a sickening crack, and the sound ninja screamed, falling backwards.

Or at least, trying to fall backwards. Because Kiba had a grip on his arm and was holding on for dear life, head butting Dosu again and again in the same spot. Both their faces were covered in blood now, and Hayate looked like he wanted to call the match, but at the moment couldn't decide a clear winner.

Kiba could see that Dosu was close to passing out, but he himself wasn't feeling too steady either. The kunai in his stomach was still sending waves of pain through his entire body, and his ears were still bleeding - he could hardly keep his balance.

He kicked Dosu in the shins, still holding onto the other genin's arm, and did his best to keep his feet under him. Dosu was staggering backwards, barely conscious, but still standing...and Kiba released his hold on Dosu's arm, shoving him away.

Both genin stood there, breathing and bleeding.

Dosu fell to the ground and lay still.

Hayate raised his hand "The winner is *cough* Inuzu-"

Kiba felt himself hit the floor.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

AN: Funny chapter - it started out my least favorite ever, but got better as I progressed. I really liked writing a fight that was purely mental and physical toughness and people pounding the shit out of each other. Nice change of pace.

We are officially halfway through the Prelims! Thank you for everyone who's been reading a reviewing, you are the reason I'm able to keep writing (even when I don't want to)

/Shameless Self Promotion/

If you like Koyaiba and want to see more of him, I'm currently working on a prequel titled The Heart is a Delicate Thing expect the intro by next week.

Also, for all the Marvel Comics fans that might be reading, keep an eye out for Totem


	15. 7 vs 10

Sasuke grimaced as he watched Kiba and Dosu be carried out of the room on stretchers. The pain was coming faster now, faster than he could handle. The pill had helped, but it had only slowed the pain down. Much longer and he might not even able to fight.

He briefly wondered what would happen if Itachi found out he had forfeited in just the second test of the chunin exams. Itachi had passed the exam on his first try. When he was _10_.

On top of that, Kakashi had warned him against using ninjutsu or even the sharingan in his upcoming match. In such a weakened state, relying purely on taijutsu, Sasuke wasn't very confident of his ability to pull out a win.

If he was going to even have a chance, his fight needed to come _right now_.

Hayate coughed as he reached into the hat. "The next *cough* match will be between Uchiha Sasuke...and Yamanaka Ino."

Sasuke grinned.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Ino felt her insides shrivel up and die.

Of all the people in the room, she was up against _Sasuke_.

Sure, she had been the best female ninja in her year. But considering her competition, that didn't say much. Sasuke had been the best overall ninja in the year by a wide margin, and he might just be the best since his older brother.

Beside her, Shikimaru chuckled. "Heh. Good luck." He sat down. "Wake me up later so I can go visit Ino in the hospital."

Asuma frowned. "Shikimaru, try to be more supportive. And uh, Ino..." he said, glancing down at her, "...good luck?"

Ino sighed. "I don't have much choice, do I?" She asked. Asuma shook his head.

"Do your best Ino!" Chouji said, giving her a weak smile. Ino tried to smile back, but still feeling like she was about to throw up all over herself, didn't manage a very good one.

"Ino," Shikimaru said, lazily opening one eye from where he was laid out on the floor. "Sasuke's team just got back from the forest a few hours ago. He's tired, and he's hurt. If you fight smart and don't let your emotions get the better of you...you stand a chance." He closed his eye again. "Try not to embarrass us, will you?"

Ino nodded and jumped into the arena below

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hey! Sasuke!" Naruto shouted from the spectator's area. "You'd better win! Or else we don't get to fight in the finals!"

Sasuke turned and looked up at him. The guy really did have ridiculous stamina. His eyes drifted down to his teammate's belly. _Such power..._ At the thought, a new wave of pain racked his body and he grimaced. Orochimaru had claimed this thing would give him power, but was he supposed to believe that? It hadn't even done anything except hurt him.

Naruto had the fox, if he wanted power. And he never used it unless he had to.

Well, if Naruto could do it without outside help, so could he. He was an Uchiha, soon to be the last. He wasn't going to depend on others to give him power.

Ino landed in front of him, her face determined. "Sasuke-kun...I don't want to fight you," she said, glaring at him. "I know you're hurt."

Sasuke shrugged, mainly to hide the shakes. "Looks like you'll have to forfeit then."

"Sasuke-kun..."

"Shame," he said, smiling a bit. "I like a girl with a bit of fight in her. Maybe even one who could beat me."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Ino's eyes widened and her mouth fell open just a little bit. If she didn't know better, she would've said Sasuke had been _flirting_ with her. Daring her to fight. Daring her to win.

"Are *cough* either of you going to surrender?" Hayate asked, looking back and forth between them with a small smile.

Sasuke snorted. "As if."

"No way!" Ino shouted, shifting into an attack stance. If Sasuke wanted to fight her, then he could fight her. Maybe beating him would finally get his attention.

"All right," Hayate said. "Begin!"

Ino sprung backwards, grabbing three shuriken from her pouch. Sasuke had a kunai in his hand and was still standing in his starting spot, guard up.

Ino hurled the shuriken, but Sasuke knocked them away with contemptuous ease. At first, Ino was worried...but then she saw how heavily he was breathing. Shikimaru was right. He was hurt.

Despite herself, she hesitated. She didn't want to hurt him. But he was Sasuke. He wouldn't just give up, so the only option was to surrender herself or keep fighting. And there was no way she was going to-

Sasuke's fist missed her face by millimeters, jarring her away from her thoughts. She had gotten distracted, and it had nearly cost her. She used a back handspring to get away, launching a pair of kicks as she did so, but he dodged them. He was off though. Slower than usual. Those kicks had come much closer than they should have.

This time there was no hesitation. Ino ducked under a clumsy swing and hit Sasuke full in the mouth.

For a moment, she couldn't believe what she'd done. She stared in horror as she looked at the blood on her hand. A tooth skittered to the floor. Sasuke stumbled back, still gripping his kunai. Everyone in the arena stared.

Sasuke wiped the blood away from his chin. "Hn. Nice hit." He ran forward again. "My turn."

There was no time to think as Ino dodged away from a sudden barrage of blows. All the training with Asuma paid off, and she managed to get away with little injury, but she was still jittery. Sasuke seemed more composed. Was his injury getting better? Or was he just taking her more seriously?

She pulled four more shuriken out and threw them two at a time. Sasuke ducked under the first, leaped the second, twisted around the third, and caught the fourth one mid-flight, hurling it back at her. She winced as it nicked her leg, but it wouldn't slow her down much.

What did slow her down was Sasuke's kick to her kneecap.

Her left knee exploded in pain, and she fell, rolling away at the last second to avoid another crushing blow. Sasuke was visibly shaking now, but he had her on the run, and if she didn't start _moving_ soon it was all over. She sprang up on all fours but Sasuke managed to land a kick in her gut, sending her sprawling again. Finally she just rolled to her knees, blocking another kick with her forearms and working her way to her feet.

Sasuke leapt back, reaching down into his pouch for more weapons. As he did so he twitched in pain but kept going. He pulled out several shuriken and threw them, but Ino rolled under them easily enough. She popped back up only to feel wires tighten around her body, pinning her arms to her sides.

"Dammit," she muttered, struggling to keep her balance. It didn't work and she tumbled, only saving herself from another barrage of shuriken by rolling with the fall. Sasuke, still holding the wires, twisted his wrists. Ino grunted as the wires bit into her skin but kept coming, leaping into the air, and executing a perfect spinning kick.

Normally Sasuke would've blocked it outright, but he was too weak for that right now. Instead he ducked under it and countered with a lightning fast uppercut.

Ino, with her arms pinned and therefore no defense, took the hit square on the chin.

She flew through the air, and unable to even stabilize herself mid-flight, hit her leg at an awkward angle. She gasped in pain as she felt the blood trickle down her leg but still tried to stand...until a fresh wave of pain brought her back down to the floor. It was broken all right. She didn't stand a chance.

Sasuke gripped his neck, sweating, but still came forward and pressed a kunai to her throat. "Give up yet?" He asked with a small grin.

Ino felt herself grin in return. "I'll give you this one Sasuke-kun. I surrender."

As soon as she had given up Sasuke sagged, falling to his knees and gripping his neck. Ino cried out, but his teacher Kakashi was already there, helping him to his feet. "Nice match Ino," he said, his one visible eye darting worriedly to Sasuke. "I'll take him from here."

In a puff of smoke, they were gone.

"Uh...I *cough* suppose the winner is Uchiha Sasuke. Can I get some *cough* medics?"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Where did Kakashi-sensei go?" Naruto asked, looking down at the medics escorting Ino away. "When is he coming back?" He looked suspiciously at Sakura. "Is he going to help Sasuke with that curse thing?"

Sakura's head whipped around. "He told you about that?" She whispered, looking at Naruto distrustfully.

"Well...yeah," Naruto said. "First thing he woke up. When you were scouting. He called it a cursed seal."

"But..." Sakura said, at a loss for words. "But...why did he tell you?" Sasuke would never have done that. He never would've admitted weakness to Naruto. He even had a hard time telling her about it, and she had been there when he had been given it.

"Well..." Naruto said, looking away uneasily. "He just...he just did ok? I don't think I'm supposed to talk about it."

Sakura blinked. Was Naruto holding out on her? Just what had happened?

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto frowned and looked away. He wanted to tell Sakura, but...if Sasuke had wanted her to know he would've told her himself. And he couldn't exactly reveal why he had been asked without raising some questions.

_A few Days Ago, the Forest of Death..._

"_Naruto."_

_Naruto groaned, his eyes blinking open. "Sasuke...what...what's going on?" He pushed himself to a sitting position, looking around. They were sheltered under some tree roots, a small fire between him and Sasuke. Sakura was nowhere to be seen. _

"_You've been out for a while. The snake guy left. Sakura is scouting."_

_Naruto rubbed his head. "What? He just left? Just like that?"_

_Sasuke nodded. "Yeah. But...he did something to me."_

"_What? What do you mean?"_

_Sasuke frowned. "I don't know, not really. He bit me, or something, Gave me this." He turned his neck to Naruto, exposing three small markings on his neck. "I don't know what it is, but it looks like a seal."_

_Naruto looked at it closely. "It does. What does it do?"_

_Sasuke shrugged. "I don't know. And I don't want to know." He looked down towards Naruto's stomach. "You know about resisting seals. Any advice?"_

"_I dunno..." Naruto said. "Just...like, don't get really angry or excited or anything. At least not until you can get Kakashi to look at it. I wouldn't mess with it."_

_Sasuke nodded. "Oh, and Naruto? He did something to your seal too. I don't know what it was, but he hit you in the stomach. Very specifically. I'd have someone check that out too."_

_Naruto swallowed. "Oh...thanks, Sasuke."_

_Sasuke grinned. "No problem. Get some sleep."_

_Right Here, Right Now_

"The *cough* next match is between *cough* Akimichi Chouji and Uzumaki Naruto!"

"You ready Chouji?" Asuma asked. He didn't really expect an answer. Not until he offered barbeque at least. Bribing Chouji was expensive, but if it got results, who was he to question? He got plenty of money from missions anyway.

Chouji nodded slowly. "I...I think I can actually do this," he said, a smile spreading across his face. "Naruto. I think I can beat him."

Asuma grinned, his savings crying out in relief. "That's the spirit Chouji! Get in there and give it your all!"

"Give 'im hell Chouji," Shikimaru said. He was standing now - he had actually gotten up to watch Ino's match, Asuma had noted with surprise. Apparent Shikimaru actually did care how his teammate did, no matter how much he denied it. "You can beat Naruto."

Chouji cracked his knuckles. "Yeah! And when I win, Asuma-sensei can take us all out for barbeque!"

Asuma sighed. There went his savings...

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Chouji hit the ground with a thud, walking up to where Naruto was already waiting. He nodded and stuck out his hand. "Good luck Naruto!" He said, smiling.

Naruto grinned. "Hey! Good luck yourself Chouji." They shook hands and stepped back, waiting for Hayate to start the match.

Hayate stood there for a moment. "I'm surprised..." he said. "Normally the contestants are *cough* trying to kill each other." He chuckled. "It's a nice change of pace. Begin!"

Chouji and Naruto both stepped back, watching the other for any sign of movement. After a few seconds of suspenseful stare-off, they both moved at the same time.

"Shadow clone jutsu!"

"Multi size jutsu!"

There was a large puff of smoke, and suddenly ten Narutos were facing a very large Chouji.

Chouji grinned as he tucked his head, arms and legs into his body. "Let's go, Naruto!" He started spinning, sending out small pulses of chakra every few seconds to make sure the clones weren't getting out of the way.

The technique was far from perfect, and so Chouji could only gather a vague sense of where each close was, but it was enough. With a roar he shot forward, completely crushing one of the Narutos. It disappeared with a puff of smoke, and Chouji rammed into the wall.

From within his protective ball, Chouji frowned. This was not a good place for him to fight. Too enclosed, and without his teammates to cover him, he was vulnerable while turning.

"Hey! He stopped spinning!" He heard Naruto shout from somewhere to his right.

"Yeah! Get him now!" Came another voice from his left. Chouji felt the Narutos start attacking, but their punches and kicks just bounced off him, leaving him unharmed. Chuckling, he started to spin again.

"Cant beat me if you can't hurt me Naruto!" He shouted as he rocketed backwards, crushing several more Naruto clones. The others dived out of the way, spamming kunai and shuriken, but they didn't do much more than the previous attacks did.

"Dammit! How can we hurt him?" One of the clones shouted. "All our attacks just bounce off!"

Chouji laughed and slowed himself down before he was buried too deep into the wall. He was going to win this. He had plenty of chakra, he could keep this up all day. And if Naruto wasn't able to hurt him, there was no way he could lose. Naruto couldn't dodge forever.

His chakra pulses detected more clones being made, about a dozen. It didn't matter. He would just crush them one or two at a time until Naruto ran out of chakra. Sure Naruto was a stamina freak, but he had just gotten out of the forest. How much fuel could he have left?

Naruto, surprisingly, didn't charge towards Chouji, instead sitting back and waiting. If Chouji could've shrugged, he would've. Whatever. He started spinning again, shooting towards where all the Narutos were bunched up.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Chouji's eyes widened. (figuratively speaking) Naruto had just made more clones of himself...several dozen in fact. They now stood bunched up together, waiting for him.

Chouji did not have a good feeling about this. But he didn't have the time to change course, and he couldn't risk dispelling the jutsu and leaving himself open. So he kept going.

He plowed through the first row of clones no problem. The second row with little difficulty. The third row however, offered a bit of resistance - and Chouji noted with a jolt that they were using the tree-climbing technique to anchor themselves to the ground.

He felt himself slow, and the fourth row managed to hold him back for a split second. Chouji started to panic, but still couldn't afford to releas the jutsu. He rolled through the fourth row, but he was dangerously slow, and struggling to regain his momentum.

The fifth and final row, backed by the real Naruto, stopped him in his tracks. There was a collective gasp from the audience, and Chouji was a little amazed - even Zaku's wind-blasts hadn't managed to stop him, just change his direction. But Naruto had done it.

It wasn't going to do him much good though. He still had no way to get past Chouji's natural defenses.

"Hey! Chouji!" Naruto shouted from above him. "Ready to give up yet?"

Chouji sent out another pulse, but instead of sending it out from his entire body, he only sent it directly up. He hadn't sensed that Naruto. What was...

Chouji swallowed.

A Naruto, presumably a Shadow Clone, was hanging from the ceiling, with several active explosive tags stuck to the portion of the ceiling directly above where Chouji was sitting.

_Oh come on..._

"3!" Naruto shouted. "2!"

Chouji released the jutsu, where another mob of Shadow Clones immediately jumped him. They all pressed the tips of their kunai to his chest simultaneously.

Chouji smiled ruefully. "Good job Naruto. I surrender."

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

**AN: I really, really liked this chapter, especially the Naruto/Chouji fight. Not that I didn't like the Ino/Sasuke fight too but...I'm having some difficulty writing Sasuke with the minor changes the events of the fanfic have given him. Hope I'm doing alright, and thanks to everyone who reads and reviews!**


	16. Courage

Chapter 16

Naruto was so _strong_.

She had always known, of course. That he had been strong. Even when he himself had slipped into one of his rare bouts of depression, sitting on the swing just outside the academy. His forehead pressed against the rope of the swing. Not moving, just sitting there, thinking. His blue eyes, normally so excited, dull and lifeless.

She had even believed in him then.

If only she had found the courage to talk to him. But she hadn't. And if she was somehow given another chance, she wasn't sure she would. She wanted to. She wanted to more than anything. But she had wanted to before, and still something stopped her. Made her hesitate, and press her fingers against each other, and blush. And then when she looked up, the moment would be over. And she'd have to wait until the next time, where she would repeat the process. Over and over. Time and Again.

So she had watched him. It hadn't been hard, not with the Byakugan - she could be in the next room over, safely separated by a sturdy wooden wall, and still be watching him like he was right next to her. Sometimes it almost felt like she could could reach out and touch him. Sometimes she tried, only to hit wood, and remember that in between them was a sturdy wooden wall.

But that hadn't stopped her from looking. Hadn't stopped her from knowing that somewhere, deep down, Naruto was more powerful than everyone thought he was.

And now he was only a few feet away, laughing with Chouji as they walked up the stairs together. Looking nervously over his shoulder, she could see Kurenai sensei waving to her, and without thinking, she raised her hand in greeting.

Naruto, facing towards her, did not see Kurenai. And so, of course, he assumed the wave was for him.

"Aw yeah!" He said, grinning and high fiving Hinata with such force she actually stumbled backwards. "Thanks Hinata! Good luck out there!"

Her face flamed scarlet, but Naruto seemed not to notice - or care. Chouji winked at her, stuffing more chips in his mouth and slowly following Naruto away.

"The next match is Hyu- *cough* Hyuga Hinata and Tsurugi Misumi."

Hinata's breath caught in her chest as she stared down at Hayate. He was looking around the stands expectantly, waiting for her and her opponent to come down and begin the match.

She tried to step forward. She really did. But not even Kurenai's encouraging smile could make her legs move when her brain said to.

"Hey Hinata! You're up!" Came Naruto's voice from behind her.

Suddenly she was flying down the stairs, nearly bowling over Kurenai, who had started up towards the stands to speak to her.

Kurenai smiled in a very Kurenai-ish way, the corners of her lips tugging the rest of her mouth into a small grin. "I take it that you're ready?"

Hinata let out a small gurgle. Which did not reassure Kurenai in any way, shape or form. "Listen Hinata," she said, bending down so their eyes were level. "This...genin is older than you. Much older. Nobody will blame you if you give up. Least of all _him_," she said, nodding towards Naruto.

Hinata knew that was a lie. Her father would blame her, no matter how much older her opponent was. And Naruto? Well, he might not blame her per se. But every time he looked at her, he would remember her giving up, backing down...

No, giving up was not an option. Unfortunately, she still couldn't quite speak clearly, so she just shook her head.

Kurenai nodded knowingly. "If it gets too dangerous, I'm stepping in like I did for Shino. There's no shame in that."

Hinata nodded, closing her eyes and trying to focus herself. She was getting more and more nervous, which is exactly what she couldn't afford to do. Visibly shaking, she made her way down the rest of the steps, into the arena.

The other genin, Misumi was a lot bigger up close. He carried himself with a casual confidence that reminded Hinata far too much of Neji when Hiashi wasn't around. It was all of the natural skill - and the knowledge that you had said natural skill - without the restraint of being in the presence of someone who outranked yourself.

Hinata felt her knees began to shiver. Misumi snorted. "It's almost like I don't even have to touch her."

Her knees steadied, but her legs still felt like jelly. She was not going to be able to win this match. Not like this. She looked around, trying to stop looking at Misumi. Anywhere else would be good.

Except Neji. She glanced away again. He looked like a hungry shark, like he was waiting to watch her get beaten to a bloody pulp. Nobody else seemed to notice, but it was obvious from the way he leaned forward when he watched her. Living in the Hyuga clan for 13 years had taught her how to read subtle body language, and Neji was doing the Hyuga equivalent of screaming that he couldn't wait for the match to start. And he knew it.

The Hokage was busy speaking in low tones to the dark skinned chunin who had come to her house not long ago. Kotoru? Koyabi? Koyaiba. Rhea had talked about him some, when she had talked at all. Rhea had scared her almost as much as Neji did. But she had had her moments. Naruto was beaming down at her, his impossibly large grin forcing his eyes closed. She felt her face heat up and was sure that Misumi could see it.

She swallowed.

"*Cough* Are both contestants ready?" Hayate asked, looking back and forth between them. "Then *Cough* begin."

Misumi did not look overly concerned that the match had started. "I'm going to warn you that I don't play with my opponents like Yoroi does. If I use my techniques on you, it's over."

Hinata didn't move.

"You can't beat me," he said quietly, sensing her indecision. "I know who you are. Abandoned by your clan. Worthless. But it would be a political mess if I severely injured the Hyuga 'heiress'," he said, making air quotes around the last word.

Hinata swallowed again. He knew. Not that it was a very tightly kept secret anyway.

"So I'm saying to you right now," Misumi continued, his eyebrows furrowing, eyes narrowing behind his glasses. "Accept your lot in life and give up. Some people just aren't meant to make chunin."

She almost backed down. He was right, she knew it. She had only participated in this test because Shino and Kiba were so eager. But something stopped her at the last second.

She had come this far. What was the worst that could happen?

"Byakugan!"

Misumi sighed. "I'll take that as a no."

He shot forward, a quick, lithe movement that left Hinata momentarily stunned. She thrust her palm out but he dodged around it, twisting his body into an impossible angle to avoid the strike. Hinata's eyes widened, but he had already slipped around her, his arms and legs wrapping around her body in a way that would've made Hinata blush if not for the adrenaline flowing through her system like crazy.

"It's over," he said calmly, and Hinata sagged from trying to suddenly support his weight. He had wrapped himself around her, arms around her neck and legs twisting around her thighs like some kind of bizarre piggy back ride. "It's over," he said again. "I've had my body modified to fit inside any space. Then I use my chakra to soften my bones. I've wrapped you up so tight that even a twitch will break your neck."

"No." Such a small, simple word. And yet is was probably the most important one of her entire life. Personally, Hinata thought it was kind of funny how those things worked. One moment can affect your future, and your children's future, and their children's future. Funny, really, if you think about it.

Well, Neji didn't think it was that funny. But Neji wasn't exactly on her mind right now.

Misumi tsked impatiently, and Hinata felt his arms tense. So she did what she had to do.

She slammed her palm into his arm. There was a flash of blue chakra as Hinata, with the help of the Byakugan, cut off about half the chakra to Misumi's left forearm.

There was a sickening crack, a scream, and a lot of blood. Not necessarily in that order. Hinata felt Misumi's arm stiffen before it was suddenly yanked away,falling uselessly by his side. With the Byakugan, Hinata could see every gory detail.

Thanks to her gentle fist strike, his chakra system was a mess, massing up in random places and thinning out completely in others. Her strike had not been precise - it had been too quick and desperate for that - but it had done it's job, cutting off enough chakra so that Misumi could no longer soften his bone. Without that, it reverted to it's normal state and well...the rest was self explanatory.

The pain had taken Misumi by surprise, but Hinata could see that he was getting ready to choke her with his remaining arm. So she hit his leg with another gentle fist strike.

Blood, scream, crack. Misumi, unable to support himself with only half his limbs in working order, fell to the ground, thrashing around wildly.

Hinata's face was completely white, save for the small drops of Misumi's blood that had somehow found their way to her cheek.

Everyone else in the room was a little busy trying to figure out what the fuck had just happened. Neji in particular was slack jawed, showing more emotion in a single moment of dumbfounded confusion than she had seen in years.

He looked kind of funny. Hinata stifled a giggle. Or tried, at least.

Then she realized how disturbing she must look. The little Hyuga girl who could barely even speak in class, giggling over her trembling, bloody opponent. Even she was scared of herself.

Naruto was the first to react.

"Woah."

The "whoah" itself hadn't been all that loud, but since the only other sound in the room was Misumi's half silent whimpers, everyone heard.

"That...was...awesome," he continued, staring down at her. _At _her. He was looking _at _her, not through her or around her or over her. And he seemed to be considering something.

It was too much. Now that the adrenaline was dwindling out and she was returning to "normal", it was all to much. She swallowed, resisting the urge to throw up all over the still twitching Misumi.

"The winner is Hyuga Hinata," Hayate said, for once getting through a statement without coughing. "Uh...excellent match."

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

**AN: Firstly, a warm welcome to all the folks from Viridian dreams! Glad you like the story so far! And of course, another thanks to all my readers.**

**I liked this chapter...in fact I've liked every chapter about Team 8 so far. Though this one was much more...introspective than usual. I think that's good though, the story needed more of that.**


	17. Preliminaries Close

Chapter 17

After Hinata had been half dragged, half carried out of the arena by her teacher, Naruto pounced her.

Shikamaru couldn't hear what he was saying, not from the other end of the arena. But he could guess, by the way Hinata was blushing and pushing her fingers together, she was getting way more attention than she had expected.

"It's good for her," Ino said beside him, leaning on the rail and smiling over at Naruto and Hinata. "She needs this. Maybe he does too."

"Feeling philosophical today are we?" Shikamaru drawled, giving a short wave to Chouji, who was still standing with Naruto. Chouji waved back and winked, giving Shikamaru the thumbs up.

Ino sniffed. "You're such a _boy_ Shikamaru," she said. "You honestly don't find this the littlest bit exciting do you?"

"No," Shikamaru said. "It's none of my buisness. Or yours. Remember that before you run off playing matchmaker will you? Don't bother saying you won't - that's a lie and both of us know it. But at least think about it before you dive into their personal lives."

Ino smiled. "But Shikamaru-kun, I would _never _try anything like that. Not at all."

Shikamaru groaned.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"The next match *cough* will be Hisagi Tenten vs Nara Shikamaru."

Lee slumped to the ground, tears streaming out of his eyes. "Again I am defeated! Perhaps Neji is right, and it is simply my destiny to be last."

Tenten patted the top of Lee's head. "Come on now Lee, it isn't that bad. Look alive will you? The only one left is the boy from the Sound." She paused, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Isn't that the team that attacked Sakura and her team in the Forest?"

Immediately Lee was on his feet, his eyes burning with something Guy would call youthful spirit. "You are correct!" He said, staring daggers at the kid from the Sound. "I will make him regret ever even thinking of laying a finger on Sakura-chan!"

"Good look with that Lee," Tenten said, grinning slightly. She turned to Neji. "Wish me luck?"

Neji arched an eyebrow, but did manage to mutter something about fate and luck going hand in hand.

Oh well. Probably the best she was going to get.

"Tenten! May your youth shine clear and strong!" Guy said, giving her a thumbs up. Tenten rolled her eyes but nodded back, making sure her headband was properly tied and jumping down into the arena.

The other boy, Shikamaru, was already waiting for her. "A Nara huh?" She said, reaching into her weapons pouch. "I hate fighting them."

Shikamaru sighed. "This is going to be such a drag."

"*cough* If both contestants are ready, you can *cough* begin," Hayate said.

Tenten moved immediately, pulling out several shuriken and hurling them at Shikamaru. Hopefully she could end this fight before...

No such luck. His hands came together with surprising speed and his shadow twisted, stretching out in front of him in an arc shape. The shuriken's shadows passed over his shadow and stopped dead, their momentum robbed by the Nara's signature technique.

Tenten ground her teeth. "I _really_ hate fighting Nara."

Shikamaru's shadow moved again, and Tenten was forced to jump backwards to avoid becoming ensnared. She pulled more weapons from her pouch and threw them, but they suffered the same fate of the first wave, Shikamaru's shadow moving to intercept them before they could hurt him.

Tenten ran up the side of the wall, feet glowing, and bounced off the bottom of the stands. Shikamaru's shadow couldn't keep up and she hit the ground rolling, throwing several kunai at the boy.

But Shikamaru himself moved this time, his shadow snapping back into place like a rubber band as he leapt to the right. Tenten, sensing an advantage, pulled out several senbon.

Senbon were great. They were light and small, so you could carry a lot of them without much issue. And once got got the hang of throwing them, they were far more precise than a kunai or even a shuriken. They lacked the punching power of the kunai, and were far more straightforward than shuriken, but made up for it by being thin and hard to see.

Hard to see was the key here.

She threw all but one of her senbon at Shikamaru, flipping into the air and throwing the last one a few seconds after the first few. With any luck, the last senbon would hit her target (Shikamaru's ankle) and severely slow him down for the rest of the match.

But Shikamaru saw through her feint, and kept his shadow shield up a few seconds longer than he normally would've - easily stopping the final senbon. Tenten hit the ground with a grimace as Shikamaru's shadow snaked out again, twisting through the shadows of her discarded weapons to extend it's own length.

Tenten rolled backwards, throwing more and more shuriken. Her desperation was obvious now, but she wasn't going to let up - he couldn't block her attacks forever.

She twisted away from the shadow once again, flipping up into a handstand and chucking another kunai towards Shikamaru.

He took this one in the arm. Tenten crowed in victory, dodging around his shadow and springing forward.

She stopped dead, teetering on one leg.

Shikamaru grinned.

Tenten looked down. She had in fact dodged around his shadow - but only part of it. A second part had wrapped around her, and without being noticed, had gotten her from behind.

"I _hate_ fighting Nara," Tenten muttered, as she felt her body bend down and grab a kunai from where it was laying on the ground. Shikamaru had no such kunai near him, and therefore was able to force Tenten to touch her own kunai to her throat without having to worry about himself.

"Yeah, yeah," Tenten muttered. "I know the drill. I surrender."

Hayate nodded and Shikamaru released the jutsu with a relieved sigh. Tenten shook her head. He was probably almost out of chakra, and had caught her just in time. That would be just her luck.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"At last! It is my turn!" Lee shouted, accidently ripping the railing off the stands in his excitement. "Oops."

Neji rolled his eyes, and Tenten gave him an odd look. Lee turned to Sakura and stuck out his thumb, his eyes gleaming like little hearts. "Sakura! I promise to avenge you for what that man did to you in the forest!"

Sakura arched an eyebrow from where she was sitting next to Sasuke. "Lee, you know we kicked their butts right?"

"Yes! But that they would attack you at all is an act worthy of vengeance! Fear not! I will show no mercy!"

Sakura sighed. "Whatever makes you happy."

Lee turned to Gai, who placed a hand on his apprentice's shoulder. "Do me proud Lee! Burn passionately with the power of youth!"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Zaku stepped into the center of the arena, grinding his teeth. This was not going to be an enjoyable experience.

The spandex clad freak from the forest was his opponent, and he looked as fired up as ever. Meanwhile, he had to deal with his right arm being broken in three places. _He's so fast...just a fucking blur._

"*cough* The final match of the preliminary round *cough* of the chunin exams...begin!"

Another blur of green.

Zaku hit the ground five feet behind where he had been standing only a half second before, and only then did the pain register. Whatever the kid had hit him with had at least cracked a few ribs, if not outright broken them.

Zaku held up his good arm, pushing wind chakra through it in an attempt to slow the kid down. It didn't work. A spandex clad leg hit his stomach with much more force than it should have, and that time Zaku could definitely hear ribs break.

He tried to stand up and managed to struggle to a knee, but the kid just brought his foot into his chin with a solid thunk. Zaku felt himself being lifted into the air again, before crashing back down to earth.

The kid was on top of him immediately, his stupid eyebrows furrowed intently. "Normally I would not be so harsh. But a man that would sink to such low levels as to attack a woman while outnumbering her three to one...this is unacceptable!"

"Lee!" Shouted a girl with a twin bun hairstyle, the one that had just lost her match. "You're being sexist again!"

Lee turned in surprise. "My apologies Tenten! I did not think before I spoke!" He turned back to Zaku, but was rudely interrupted by a blast of wind to the face, which threw him back into the far wall.

"Fucker!" Zaku shouted, struggling to his feet again and spitting out blood. "How do you like me now?"

"Even less than I did previously," Lee said from directly behind him. Zaku gaped. _So fast...just a fucking blur._

And then something hit his neck, and his vision went black.

"And that concludes the preliminaries," Hayate said

XXXXXXXXXXXX

A few minutes later, the victors of the preliminaries, minus of course, Sasuke and Kiba, stood before the Hokage. Koyaiba stood next to the old man, grinning down at Naruto and Sakura and doing his best to ignore his still throbbing ankle. _What I would do for some painkillers. _In his hand he held a small box full of slips of paper, each with a different number written on it.

"Congratulations victors," the Hokage said, inclining his head slightly to the assembled genin. "You have successfully moved on to the the third and final round of the chunin exams, and for that, you have my respect." He took a long drag on his pipe, letting the smoke drain slowly out of his mouth as he studied the assembled genin. "As I told you before, in the main event, your matches will be seen by everybody. Each of you will fight to represent the strengths of your countries. I'd like you to show off all your powers with no reserves. Which is why the finals will be held one month from now."

There were looks of surprise from the genin, but only Naruto spoke up. "We're not going to do it right here right now?"

"This break," the Hokage said, "you can say, will be for preparations."

"Which means?" Neji asked.

"In other words," The Hokage said, "in addition to informing all the other country lords and shinobi leaders, this is time needed to arrange for the gathering of the event. And this is also the preparation time for you exam students. Basically, it's the preparation to get to know yourself and your enemy. it's the time period where you will calculate your chances of winning by analyzing the data you accumulated during the trial competition. The battles up to now you had to fight as if you were in an actual combat situation with the assumption of fighting an unknown opponent. However, the final trial will not be like this. There are those who showed all that the can do already to their rivals...there are those who competed and were badly injured against a strong opponent." He took another drag on his pipe, and Koyaiba wondered how long it had been since he had made such a long speech without being interrupted. "Well, I'd like to dismiss you now, but theres something that has to be done for the finals before I can do that."

Naruto, apparently fed up with all the talking (though honestly, he probably hadn't listened to half of it) finally burst. "What the hell is it?"

"Dont get so excited..." the Hokage said, chuckling. "There are pieces of paper inside of the box that Koyaiba is holding so each of you take one piece."

"One at a time please..." Koyaiba said as both Naruto and Lee charged him. They eventually settled into a semi organized line, all taking one slip from the box.

"Now, starting from the left, please read out the number you got," the Hokage said. Ibiki stood with a clipboard, waiting for their response.

"I got nine," Naruto said.

"Four," said Temari

"Three." Neji.

"Ten," Garaa said.

"One," Shikamaru said.

"I have received a six!" Lee shouted.

"Eight," said Sakura.

"And...I got two," Hinata said.

Ibiki nodded, making quick marks on his clipboard. "Koyaiba, pick a number for Kiba." Koyaiba reached into the box and grabbed one of the remaining two slips. "Seven."

"That makes Sasuke five," the Hokage said. "Ibiki, reveal the list."

The genin leaned forward in anticipation, trying to get a good look at the board. "Match one will be Nara Shikamaru vs Hyuga Hinata!" Ibiki said. "Match two is Hyuga Neji vs Temari. Match three is Uchiha Sasuke vs Rock Lee. Match four, Inuzuka Kiba vs Haruno Sakura. And match nine is...Uzumaki Naruto vs Garaa."

Each of the genin had a different reaction - Naruto of surprise, Lee of joy, Sakura of worry, Temari, Garaa, and Neji of indifference, and Shikamaru of relief. Hinata's head was so far down Koyaiba couldn't see it, but he wouldn't be surprised if she was secretly relieved she didn't have to fight Garaa...or Neji.

The Hokage and Shikamaru had a brief discussion on the judging of the final tournament before the genin were finally released. Ibiki nodded in Koyaiba's direction, motioning him to follow.

Koyaiba sighed. This was a long day. And he had a feeling it was going to get a lot longer.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

AN: I'd love to tell you that I had some sort of crisis, and that's why this chapter to so long to write. Unfortunately, I just had a big case of writers block. At least I worked through it, and I think I'll get working on the next chapter right now.

Also, big news! This fic just got put up on the Viridian Dreams Forum Rec list, which is awesome! Today, the internet...tomorrow, the world!

But I jest. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	18. To Friends

Koyaiba followed Ibiki through the Tower's twisting hallways, neither of them saying anything. Ibiki had never been much of a talker, and Koyaiba was too busy trying to remember how to get out of here - he doubted Ibiki would care enough to escort him back to the preliminary arena. And the path to wherever they were going was getting more complicated by the minute.

Finally, they made their way into a small, messy room with a small television set. Ibiki pulled a video tape from one of the pockets of his coat and inserted it into the slot. He sat down in a small wooden chair in front of the television, and motioned for Koyaiba to do the same.

Koyaiba sat, stretching out his arms and yawning. The television flashed some static, and suddenly Koyaiba was watching Kiba, Hinata, and Shino crouching together on the forest floor.

"I had a tech squad edit together most of the video we have of the twelve genin so that we don't have to keep swapping between cameras," Ibiki said. "The number in the top right corner is the camera number, and the number below that is the sector it's located in. Try to keep up." Koyaiba nodded and watched Team 8 sit in silence for about another half minute.

The silence was broken by a sudden scream, and Team 8 turned that way as if they were expecting it. Eventually they pushed through the bushes, and though the camera angle didn't change, Koyaiba could hear Kiba gloating.

"They got their scroll remarkably quickly," Koyaiba said. With this little time having passed, I wouldn't be surprised if they were the first."

Ibiki nodded. "They're the first we caught on camera. Of course, we can't cover the entire forest, but we have a decent enough area covered. But they weren't the first back. Not by a few hours."

"So they're cautious," Koyaiba said, leaning back in his chair. "Their specialty is scouting. They could've gotten to the tower in no time if they'd put their minds to it."

In response, Ibiki picked up the remote and thumbed a few buttons. The tape began to play at three times the speed, zooming past several scenes of Team 8 hidden in the branches. "They spent about a day observing anyone they could find. Probably the Aburame's idea.

Koyaiba grunted. "Pretty smart. Until you observe the wrong person."

"They got lucky," Ibiki said. "That's part of it." The tape switched scenes again, but this time focused on Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura. "We received reports that these three were ambushed by Orochimaru, but the bastard took out any cameras he came across. We did however, get lucky enough to see this."

The scene changed again. For a moment Koyaiba was confused - the only thing he could see was a small clearing surrounded by trees. Ibiki pointed towards the roots of a tree towards the right side however, and Koyaiba noticed movement. "They're down there?"

Ibiki nodded. "Not long after Orochimaru got to them. Naruto and Sasuke were both hurt, so Sakura got them to safety. And then...this."

A squirrel ran onto the screen, and a moment later a kunai flew from the roots of the tree, scaring it off. Koyaiba arched an eyebrow. "Fascinating."

Ibiki snorted, and the tape kept playing. Three figures emerged from the trees, and Koyaiba recognized them as the sound ninja from the preliminaries. They began moving forward, but stopped suddenly. Koyaiba could hear vague voices, but only managed to pick out every third word or so.

Suddenly, the three sound ninja sprang into the air. A huge log came swinging from nowhere, and Koyaiba wondered for a moment how the hell Sakura had set that up. As if he could tell what he was thinking, Ibiki cut in. "She found that trap from a few exams back and put it to good use." Koyaiba grunted as the leader, Dosu, punched the log into tiny pieces. They hit the ground and sprang forward, ready to attack...

And tripped over their own two feet, each running off in an opposite direction. "What the hell?" Koyaiba asked, watching them in confusion. They were running wildly in circles, occasionally running into each other.

"Genjutsu," Ibiki said, smirking. "The girl is unusually skilled. She used the log as a distraction and hit them with it before they even landed. They were disorientated, so it took them a moment to figure out what was going on. She would've had them there, but she didn't count on Dosu's...unique abilities.

Dosu shook his arm and there was a sudden screech before the camera lost all audio. Sakura fell to her knees, apparently screaming, and Kin dashed forward, grabbing her by the hair.

Sakura grabbed a kunai and cut her hair off in Kin's grip, using the distraction to slam the kunai into the girl's shin. Kin's body arched in pain but she bounded away easily enough, so it couldn't have been serious. Zaku let loose a blast of air but his aim was thrown off by a green blur hitting his legs almost faster than the camera could follow. Zaku hit the ground hard, and only a moment later got his face kicked in by a very pissed looking Sakura.

Lee zoomed towards Sakura, hitting a slide at the last minute and going through her legs. He collided with Kin, who had been attempting a sneak attack, and stood to find himself face to face with Dosu.

Who Sakura substituted behind and whopped in the back of the head with a very sturdy looking branch. Dosu hit the ground hard, and Sakura and Lee turned to Zaku, the only still conscious member of the sound trio.

Zaku put something on the ground, and grabbed his teammates, scurrying away. Sakura turned to Lee, apparently thanking him. Lee nearly fainted.

Then Sakura kissed him on the cheek. This time Lee really did faint. Sakura giggled, her shoulders shaking with restrained laughter, and grabbed him by the armpits, dragging him under the trees next to Naruto and Sasuke.

The camera skipped through a few scenes of Sakura leaving the base to scout, and Lee returning to his team, apparently singing as he did so. Not much later Naruto and Sasuke emerged from the roots of the tree, and Team 7 set out on their way.

"This Lee boy is apparently infatuated with Haruno," Ibiki said, a small smile tugging at his scarred face. "Puppy love."

"My Mom and Dad started out like that," Koyaiba said, grinning. "And now look where they are. These things can grow."

Ibiki nodded. "True enough. Something to watch. Haruno has impressed us so far in the exams. Her creativity and intelligence has made her a formidable genjutsu user, but we're not entirely sure why she didn't use it during her preliminary match."

"Kin would've been ready for it," Koyaiba said. "And she wouldn't have wanted to give away her big advantage in the prelims."

Ibiki nodded, but didn't look surprised. More smug actually.

Koyaiba narrowed his eyes. "You knew the answer to that. You're testing me."

"And you're doing remarkably well," Ibiki said, fixing Koyaiba with an even stare. "I'm beginning to see why the Hokage selected you for this assignment."

Koyaiba scowled. "Is there even any purpose for these videos? I'm hungry, and I hurt like hell. So if this is just another test you might as well let me go. Since I'm 'doing remarkably well'."

Ibiki's head tilted slightly to the left. "I heard about Daiyu."

Koyaiba said nothing.

"He was a good chunin. And one of your best friends at the academy."

Koyaiba said nothing.

Ibiki sighed. "We're ninja, Koyaiba. Friends die. Teammates die. But that doesn't make it any easier. How do you think Tsubaki felt when she learned that her boyfriend of three years died barely a week before he was going to propose?"

Koyaiba took a shaky breath. "They were too young to get married...I always told them that..."

"We don't live long Koyaiba. You need to be happy while you can." Ibiki stood, looking down at Koyaiba and sighing again. "Think about that. And get some sleep. You're dismissed."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Koyaiba walked through Konoha aimlessly. The thought of returning to his house right now wasn't exactly appealing, so he just wandered through the streets and thought.

Him and Daiyu throwing snowballs at each other before they had even learned each other's names.

Him and Daiyu staring up at the clouds, discussing ninjutsu as if they knew what they were talking about.

Him and Daiyu approaching the quiet girl in the corner on their first day at the academy.

Tsubaki dragging them to the hospital after Koromichu had beaten them senseless.

Tsubaki trying so hard to get Daiyu to notice. Daiyu failing utterly and completely to see past their friendship. Tsubaki getting fed up with it...

He stopped thinking when he walked into a brick wall. It hurt his head.

"Koyaiba?"

Koyaiba looked over to see Iruka standing a few feet behind him, an expression of worry on his face. "Koyaiba, you just walked into a wall."

Koyaiba cleared his throat. "Yes. I did."

Iruka watched him carefully for a moment and sighed. "Daiyu." He looked up at the sky for a moment, squinting towards the sun. "Look, Koyaiba. I've got dinner with Ko in about 10 minutes. You wanna come?"

"Ko?" Koyaiba asked, rubbing the back of his neck. "I dunno. I haven't seen him since..."

_Rhea's funeral._

Iruka nodded. "C'mon. Get something to eat. It'll be good for you."

"Really, it's ok. I don't want to intrude."

"No, you're coming. And I'm paying. You've had a rough couple of days."

In the end, Iruka ended up grabbing Koyaiba by the arm and basically dragging him to a small, out of the way steak shop that Koyaiba had only seen, never entered. It had a "homey" feel, Koyaiba thought, very comfortable and not too full of itself. He liked it immediately.

Hyuga Ko sat on the floor, sipping tea and relaxing. He waved to Koyaiba and Iruka as they entered, motioning for them to sit down in front of him. "Koyaiba. Didn't know you were coming along."

"I made him," Iruka explained, picking up a menu and skimming through it. "He looked like he could use a meal." Ko nodded wisely and offered Koyaiba a glass of tea.

"Koyaiba-san," he said politely. "I haven't really talked to you since your last visit to the compound."

Koyaiba smiled slightly. "You mean the one where Hiashi told me he would personally beat me to a bloody pulp if I kept bothering his niece?"

Ko chuckled. "Something along those lines. He's a passionate one, Hiashi. Very straightforward when he wants to be."

Koyaiba nodded. "On a slightly...happier note, you must be proud of Hinata."

Ko's face split into a grin. "I have been watching that girl since before she could walk. I always knew that if she just put a little faith in her own abilities she could succeed. And now look at her! Finals her first chunin exam! Hiashi can't ignore this. He just can't."

Iruka smiled. "And if he does, you'll give him a piece of your mind, won't you?" He grabbed a cup of tea and took a swallow. "Honestly, this exam was full of surprises. The entire finals consists of members from only two villages. I think that's a first."

"And all but three of them are in their first year," Koyaiba pointed out. "I think everyone saw Uchiha Sasuke coming, but nobody expected anyone else. Especially not Naruto."

Iruka laughed. "Good God! Did you see the spectator's faces when he won! Brilliant!"

Ko arched an eyebrow. "He won?"

"Hinata didn't tell you?" Koyaiba asked.

Ko shook his head. "I haven't seen her since the exam actually. I got a message that she had won and was going out with some friends for ramen, and so I made plans with Iruka immediately afterwards. It's a rare occasion I get this much time off, so I'm going to use it."

"Ramen?" Iruka asked. "Sounds like someone's out on a group date."

Ko frowned. "What? With..." he paled. "With Naruto? You can't be serious."

Iruka shrugged. "I don't know, but it's as good a guess as any. You should've seen her after her match - he was all over her."

"She kept pinching herself," Koyaiba said offhandedly. "I think she was trying to make sure all that attention was real."

Ko shook his head. "This had better not be anything serious...Hiashi will have me hanged if he learns his daughter is going on group dates with the village pariah."

Ko," Iruka said, his expression pained. "What have I told you about that?"

Ko shook his head. "I'm sorry, but my point still stands. He's clanless, dead last in his graduating class, and there's that...other thing."

"What other thing?" Koyaiba asked.

Ko grinned. "I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you," he joked. "Anyway, Hiashi might understand that personally the boy is a decent kid, but reputation is one of the most powerful weapons the Hyuga wield. Hinata can't afford to destroy that by hanging out with dead last."

"Not so dead last anymore," Koyaiba said, biting into his steak, which the waitress had brought over a few minutes ago. "I never really got that. Naruto seems like a good enough kid. It doesn't make sense that he was always dead last in his class."

Iruka shrugged. "It's because he's stupid."

Koyaiba and Ko stared.

"What?" Iruka asked. "I love Naruto. He's the closest thing I've ever had to a little brother. But he's still stupid. He can get the bigs things down, but only after working himself to exhaustion. In fact, the only reason he can get things so quickly is because he can work for days on end when his classmates can only work for a few hours at a time. If that."

"He mastered the Kage Bunshin in just a few hours!" Koyaiba protested.

"Again, a big thing," Iruka pointed out. "And a clone jutsu isn't very difficult to master if you can make a couple dozen of them at a time for hours nonstop. The only reason he kept failing his genin exam was because he either spent time slacking off or begging for something more advanced." Iruka sighed. "When I first started teaching him, I noticed he was smart. But he had horrible grades. I thought the other teachers must've been sabotaging him or something, but the Hokage had been watching them like a hawk. Naruto just doesn't have an attention span unless he's learning an ultra-powerful jutsu. That's just how he is."

"Huh." Ko said. "I never thought of him that way." He shook his head. "But still. Hinata forming a friendship with him would be a political disaster and would technically be my fault. And I really don't need that right now." He stood up to go.

Iruka chuckled. "Not so soon before break huh?"

Ko looked wistfully into the distance. "Tomorrow. Seven days. Imagine it Iruka, a whole week without having to look after Hinata. I don't have to lift a finger until the eighteenth! It's like a dream come true. I'd better stop Hinata before she gets herself in trouble."

Koyaiba frowned. "Seven days...tomorrow...eighteen..." he paled. "Holy shit. It isn't the eleventh is it?"

Iruka nodded. "The exam started on the sixth and lasted five days. Why? Got a date?"

Koyaiba fixed him with a very even glare, and Iruka looked like he wanted to smack himself. "Oh my God. I'm so sorry. I...I forgot."

Koyaiba shook his head. "No. No, it's ok. But I do have somewhere to be. Sorry Iruka, but I really should go."

Iruka smiled. "Of course not. I'll just sit here and eat all three of our steaks. Maybe that pretty waitress will even take pity on me and I can make a date out of it."

Koyaiba nodded and jogged out of the restaurant, breaking into a full run when he got through the door. His ankle hurt like hell, and he was probably already late, but luckily it hadn't been his day to get food.

Eventually he came upon a small clearing in the forest. There were several people sitting in a circle, talking quietly among themselves. Koyaiba noticed with a flash of pain that there were more headstones in the circle than there were actual people.

He landed in the clearing and took his spot, looking around and exchanging short greetings with his former classmates. A small picnic was spread out on a checkered blanket in the middle of the circle, with one dish in front of every person or headstone. Koyaiba's eyes drifted across the names carved on them.

Akira Taro

Sawadu Takuma

Gokudera Dachi

Dokuro Yuuka

Kametuga Daiyu

One headstone was left blank. Hoshiro handed Koyaiba a kunai. "Rika's out on a mission right? So that means it's just you."

Koyaiba nodded.

He had never wanted to have to do this.

He walked over to the blank headstone and carved Rhea's name in. An apple pie sat in front of it.

"Team Two is out on a mission, and so is Rika," Hoshiro said. "Tsubaki's locked herself in her room. So it's just us."

Everyone nodded and picked up their glasses. "To friends," Hoshiro said. "May they live forever in our memories.

"To friends."

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

**AN: **Slow chapter. But hopefully that cleared up any questions about the forest. Any more questions, feel free to ask via PM or review, I'll do the best I can to answer.

I know, not a lot happened, but come on. We've had a lot of fights recently. And Koyaiba will be going on another mission soon, promise.


	19. New Assignment

A bell above the door jingled as Koyaiba entered Hisiagi Weapons shop.

Personally, Koyaiba would not have sent his yari here. True, it was among the best shops in Konoha, but it was also annoyingly expensive. He preferred the "Always Sharp" shop on the other side of town. His parents scoffed and told him to go to a real shop, but they weren't paying for repairs on a chunin pay.

The owner, who everyone affectionately referred to as Shishi, laughed as he saw Koyaiba enter. "Aha! So the little-ist Kohinata finally comes! Now I've got the whole set!"

Shishi was a mountain of a man, thick shouldered and heavily muscled, with a shaved head and a missing eye. He was also an old friend of Koyaiba's parents and a good man. Koyaiba smiled. "I'm here to pick up my yari sir."

"And I am on break!" Shishi said, throwing a coat over his massive shoulders. "Tenten! Get out here and help our newest regular!"

Koyaiba scratched the back of his neck at the word regular. Shishi _was_ a good man, and his weapons were top quality, but still, the pay...

"Say, that reminds me! You're a chunin now! Which means you get to share in on your parents' special discount!" Shishi bellowed, patting Koyaiba on the head as he walked out of the store.

Discount?

Suddenly, regular didn't sound so bad.

The brown haired girl from the exams, the one that had stood next to Neji and Lee, came in from a back room behind the counter. Her hair was brought up into a single bun instead of her usual double ones, and she wore a smock with heavy gloves. Her face was flushed and dirty, and she was sweating fairly heavily.

"You were the proctor," she said after a moment. "At the exams. The one who broke the computer screen."

Koyaiba rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Yeah, that was me. I'm here for the yari. It broke in the second test of the exams."

Tenten nodded and returned to the back room, coming back after a few minutes minus the smock and gloves. She held his yari in her hands, the same bamboo staff topped by a shiny new blade.

Koyaiba looked at it for a moment and shook his head.

"Is something wrong?" Tenten asked, laying the yari out on the table and checking over it. "Shishi let me do this one by myself and I'm sure I did everything right..."

"It's perfect," Koyaiba said, rifling through his wallet. "But I can't take it." He pulled out a few bills and pushed them across the counter. "I'm sorry. Here's the money for the repairs. You can keep the yari."

Tenten arched an eyebrow. "Mind if I ask why?"

"The yari...that one was made for me by someone special," Koyaiba said. "She recently passed away. I don't feel...right using another one, no matter how well made."

Tenten's expression softened. "Of my God. You're Koyaiba aren't you? Rhea's friend. Neji told me what happened. I'm so sorry."

"Thanks," Koyaiba said, looking down at his feet. "I'll go now. Hope you have some luck selling the yari, it's really well made."

He turned to go, but Tenten stopped him. "Wait. You have the discount right? You might as well pick up a new weapon."

Koyaiba turned and shrugged. Honestly, the majority of his taijutsu _was_ based on weapon use, and so not getting a new weapon would be stupid. Rhea wouldn't have wanted him to die because he felt sentimental. "Alright. What did you have in mind?"

Tenten hopped over the counted and walked over a large poster hanging on the wall. There were a massive amount of weapons pictured, along with the name. "Well, what are you trained in? No point in getting a new weapon if you don't know how to use it."

"I know how to use basically everything here..." Koyaiba said, looking around. "I'm clanless, see, but both my parents are ninja. They wanted me to be able to match the other kids when I entered the academy so they started teaching me the basics with different weapons. We covered a lot of weapons, but as I got older I started to specialize."

Tenten nodded. "Sojutsu? Spear fighting?"

"Actually, Bojutsu," Koyaiba corrected. "My parents didn't want me having anything too lethal, so I focused on staffs until I got old enough to handle the blade."

Tenten frowned. "But Bojutsu and Sojutsu are completely different. Your technique must've been horrendous."

Koyaiba shrugged. "I learned. My handling is a bit unorthodox, but it worked. I'd like something similar, I guess..."

"Why not just go back to the staff?" Tenten suggested. "We've got some great quality ones here."

Koyaiba shook his head. "Not lethal enough. Breaking bones is nice, but if I'm in a tight spot I want to be able to stab too."

"A sword? What do you think of the katana?" Tenten asked, pointing to an entire shelf filled with katana of different sizes."

Koyaiba shook his head again. "Nah. Too pointy. I want to be able to smack people around without killing them if I have to. Plus, the katana requires a lot of finesse, and I haven't used one in a long time."

Tenten mumbled something to herself and began walking around the shop, picking up weapons and putting them down. Finally she seemed to have a revelation - her eyes lit up and she snapped her fingers. "That's it! I'll be right back." She flew through the door to the back room, coming back out a few minutes later with a circular sheath about two feet in length.

"It doesn't really have a formal name yet..." Tenten explained, pulling the thing out of the sheath. It was a stick of metal with a point at the end. Not incredibly thick, but strong looking.

"It's a stick," Koyaiba said.

"It's not just a stick!" Tenten said, obviously offended.

"It's a pointy stick," Koyaiba corrected.

Tenten huffed. "It's a legitimate weapon. It's becoming really popular out west, especially in the Rain. I think their leader uses one."

Koyaiba took the stick in his hand, swishing it around.

"It's got a point to stab things with, but the rest of it is round so you can use it to smack people around," Tenten explained. "It's one handed and easy to sheathe, so it allows you to use jutsu more easily than your yari did. And best of all it doesn't require a ton of finesse so you shouldn't take that long to adjust to it."

"What if it breaks?" Koyaiba asked. He began running through a few modified katana stances with it, testing it's balance.

"Whoever your fighting would be pretty tough. It's good steel, better than anything you'll find at Always Sharp," Tenten said. "So do you want it?"

Koyaiba turned to a practice dummy that was set up next to the counter and slashed it across the chest. The stick left a nice cut, and Koyaiba followed up with an uppercut blow to the dummy's chin. He examined the stick for a moment and grinned. "I'll take it."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Yo."

Kakashi hit the ground with barely a sound, and was immediately faced with three very angry genin. "Sensei!" Sakura shouted. "It's been three hours!"

"Has it? I must've lost track of the time..."

"Oh don't give us that bullshit," Naruto muttered. "Just get on with it already."

"Please do," Sasuke said. "I've had to listen to Naruto's opinions on every flavor of ramen _ever _at least five times. "If I have to hear what he thinks about bean ramen one more time I am going to burn his entire apartment complex down."

"You guys are no fun," Kakashi said, putting up his icha-icha book. "Alright. Training."

Naruto leapt up as if to make a comment, but Sasuke grabbed him by the collar and yanked him down. Naruto huffed but did not complain, and instead sat quietly and waited.

Kakashi would've considered this odd were he not so busy considering it _awesome._

"Yes. So I'd love to teach you all together, but you have different styles, and since you're all technically competitors it might be in your better interest to keep some secrets, at least for a while," Kakashi said. He turned to Naruto. "Naruto. Since you're going up against the most dangerous opponent, I'd love to teach you, but at your current level and with your current tactics there's nothing I could teach you that would really be effective against someone like Garaa."

Naruto's face fell.

"However," Kakashi continued, "I knew this from the beginning. So I set up some appointments for you with a private tutor. He just came back to the village recently, and he's very good at what he does. Ultimately it's up to him on whether he wants to teach you or not, but I've at least put in a good word for you."

Naruto gave him a toothy grin. "All right!"

"Exactly. Now go. He wants you to meet him at the bathhouse...thirty minutes ago."

Naruto took off without so much as a backward glance. Kakashi chuckled and turned to Sakura. "Sakura. Again, I'd like to teach you, but I'm not exactly a genjutsu guy, especially not with genjutsu not related to the sharingan. So I got you lessons with Kurenai, Konoha's resident genjutsu specialist."

Sakura nodded. "But won't she have her hands full? Both Kiba and Hinata are in the finals."

"Kiba and Hinata both have clans to help them, so Kurenai will have more free time then you might think. True, she won't have all the time in the world, but genjutsu is very theory intensive, so you should be able to fill up your time with reading and practice." He pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to her. "Here's a list of books you'll want from the library. Kurenai wants to meet you in a few hours at her apartment."

Finally, he turned to Sasuke. "You're fighting Lee, so your regiment is going to be the most brutal," he said bluntly. "You don't stand a chance against him right now, but I'll help you with that. Follow. And turn on your sharingan," he said, turning to go.

"Where are we going?" Sasuke asked.

"We're going to do a little reconnaissance."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hinata, Kiba, first I want to say congratulations on making it to the finals."

Kiba grinned up at Kurenai, and Akamaru barked happily. They were both still injured, but had gotten over most of it - though Akamaru did have a few balance problems that should heal with time and practice.

Hinata mumbled something and blushed, and Kurenai smiled. She was happy the girl was succeeding, and couldn't help but feel a little proud of herself as well as Hinata. Two first year genin in the finals was no mean feat, especially for her first genin team ever. If only Shino could've rounded it out...

But no, expecting that was unfair. Shino had gone up against a literal monster and had performed admirably. Any other opponent in the exam and she was sure he would've passed.

Well, maybe not Neji. But he was a special case.

"As you both know, it will be mainly up to your clans to train you now," Kurenai said. "I'm not privy to your clan abilities, and so I can't help your fighting style like they can. I'll be training you periodically, and Shino has offered handle recon for both of you.

Shino nodded. "Expect a full report on every member, minus each other, a week before the third round begins. The reports will be the exact same, except I'll do Kiba's in pictures so he can keep up."

Kiba growled. "Watch yourself bug boy."

Kurenai smiled. They were only playing with each other, and they both knew it. Inuzuka were...rowdy, and she was glad Kiba's boisterousness was helping bring Shino out of his shell. Now if only he could do the same with Hinata.

Speaking of Hinata...

Kurenai laid a hand on Hinata's shoulder and leaned down. "Hinata, I need you to know that your father demanded he train you himself. I did everything I could, but he's fully within his boundaries."

Kurenai could feel Hinata's shoulder stiffen, and she winced in sympathy. _Poor girl..._

But she could focus on that later. Right now, she had something for Shino. "Shino, you received a mission today," she said, handing him a small scroll. "You should be back in plenty of time for your recon, but just in case I want you to...

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"My students! I am pleased with how brightly your youthful fires burned during the exams!"

Tenten rolled her eyes, but Lee lapped up the praise like a dog dying of thirst. Neji was barely listening - Tenten was sure he had his Byakugan activated and was silently observing something only he could see.

It was only about 10 minutes after she had sold the stick to Koyaiba, and she was still tired and dirty. First chance she got, she was going to take a long hot shower and maybe some sleep. Working in the shop was fun, but exhausting, especially when she was actually mending weapons.

Guy's voice interrupted her thoughts. "However! My joy is tempered by my most hip rival Kakashi, for all three of his students passed into the next round! I am not saying that you have disappointed me Tenten," he explained, "simply telling Lee and Neji that their fires must burn ever brighter if they are to put the hip Kakashi to shame!" When we meet again in the arena for the third round, he will be blinded by the power of our youthful flame!"

"Yes Guy-sensei!" Lee shouted, jumping to attention. "I will train harder than ever before! And if I do not defeat Sasuke! I will climb the Hokage mountain with only my teeth!"

Tenten actually saw a tear in Guy's eye. "Lee! Your youthful fire glows even brighter than mine did at your age! I am so proud!"

"And here it comes..." Tenten muttered. Neji snorted. So he was paying attention after all.

"Lee!"

"Guy-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Guy-sensei!"

Tenten sat back, waiting for the little show to end. A beautiful sunset genjutsu played in the background, but Tenten had already seen it dozens of times - nothing new.

"Tenten!" Guy shouted suddenly. He pulled away from Lee with such speed that the genin hit the ground face first, immediately springing back to his feet. "I had almost forgotten! You have a mission!"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Alright guys...I just wanted to tell you that I'm not in any way disappointed in you."

"Maybe you should be," Ino said miserably. "We have one member in the finals. Everyone else has at least two."

"Don't beat yourselves up about it," Asuma said, taking a long drag on his cigarette. "You fought two tough opponents. And you're improving. The best thing you can do now is help Shikamaru train."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Right. That."

"Unfortunately," Asuma said, "You two have a mission."

Chouji and Ino immediately perked up. "Just us?" Ino asked.

Asuma shook his head. "No, you'll be going with the other prelim contestants that didn't make it to the third round. You're being lead by a chunin named Koyaiba." he tossed them the scroll. "Now remember you two, be on your best behaviour. I happen to know Koyaiba from a mission - he's a good kid. Try not to make life too hard on him will you?"

Ino and Chouji nodded. "We'll be back in time for the third round right?"

"Well before that, barring an emergency," Asuma assured them. "You two will be fine. It's a B-rank though - your first one."

Chouji and Ino glanced at each other, eyes wide. "A B-rank? Why us?"

Asuma shrugged. "Probably because the Hokage needs all our top ranked ninja to help keep order. You won't be in too much danger. Now scoot. The Hokage wants to see you ASAP."

Chouji and Ino nodded, turning to go. As they left, the could hear Asuma getting Shikamaru ready.

"All right Shikamaru. For your training right now I've decided to borrow a page from the notes of a certain Might Guy..."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The Hokage glanced around at the assorted genin. Normally he wouldn't be sending them out on a mission like this, but it wasn't like he had much choice - the exams were always a volatile time, with so many enemy ninja in Konoha's walls. He'd need most of the jounin to keep order if something happened, leaving the chunin to deal with A-ranked missions. Meaning genin had to be bumped up to B. At least the academy students got experience in, taking care of the D-ranked missions around the village.

"So obviously you all know why you're here," he said after a moment, laying a scroll out across his desk. "This is Koyaiba, your chunin leader for this particular mission. You might remember him from the exam."

The genin nodded. Koyaiba was fairly distinctive, with a skin tone usually found in the Cloud, and it was hard to forget him completely.

"Anyway, you're all being sent out on an official B-rank mission. For everyone except Tenten and Koyaiba, it's your first." He sat back in his chai, considering the best way to phrase this. "I'm going to be blunt with you. This isn't a simple assignment. One week prior to the exams we received reports that civilians were being killed in a string of small towns - specifically, people who were employed by Konoha's civil services. Here are some pictures from the scenes."

The genin peered at the pictures, and Sarutobi notice most of them immediately recoiled. The bodies were almost beyond recognition, torn to pieces by some kind of serrated weapon. "A killer was not identified, but our medical experts guessed the victims were tortured before they finally died. We have no idea why; the only thing linking them together was their jobs. So we sent Team Two to investigate. They reported that they had a lead, but needed backup in order to completely apprehend the culprit. So we're sending you."

Koyaiba nodded. "A serial killer huh? I've dealt with one before."

"I'm afraid you're correct," Sarutobi murmured. "There's some kind of links to the attacks, but we can't find anything beyond their jobs. The presence of Team Two has forced the killer to be more cautious, but we're afraid if he...or she isn't caught soon they'll just strike again. I need this wrapped up as soon as possible. We can't have something like this get out of control during the exams. Particularly this one."

Koyaiba nodded. "Alright guys," he said, clapping his hands together. "You have one hour to get everything ready and meet me at the gate. Tell your parents, and anyone else who needs to know, but don't be late."

The genin nodded, slowly filing out of the room. Koyaiba turned to go, but Sarutobi motioned for him to stay back.

"Koyaiba?" He said after all the genin had left. "Are you sure you're up for this?"

Koyaiba swallowed. "If I couldn't take this, I wouldn't be fit to call myself a ninja. I can handle it sir."

Sarutobi sighed. "Koyaiba...I don't want to tell you this, but I think it's important. I read your psyche profile."

Koyaiba paused for a moment. "That...makes sense. Anything I need to know?" He asked, half jokingly.

Sarutobi didn't smile. "Actually, yes. You have a very bad track record of dealing with personal grief."

Koyaiba looked up at the ceiling.

"Koyaiba, if you're hurting, you need to tell someone. Maybe see a counselor. But I can't be sending you out into the field if you're a ticking time bomb. We've lost good ninja to grief before. I don't want to see it happen with you."

Koyaiba turned away. "Don't worry Hokage-dono. I can handle myself. You need to worry about more important things." He walked out and closed the door behind him.

Sarutobi rubbed the bridge of his nose. Koyaiba was a good kid.

But Tsunade had been a good kid too.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Is everyone ready?"

Chouji looked up. Koyaiba wasn't exactly late, but he was the last one there. The chunin looked distracted, but otherwise ok.

Chouji shrugged. Nobody late, so no harm done.

"I can't believe he was the last one here," Ino whispered. "He's kinda cute, don't you think?"

Chouji rolled his eyes. "Ino I don't look at guys that way..."

Ino huffed. "You're no fun," she muttered. "I want a gay best friend. Is that so much to ask?"

"Why don't you ask Shikamaru to be your gay best friend?" Chouji asked, grinning. "I'm sure he'd be thrilled.

Ino punched his shoulder. It didn't hurt. Chouji smiled.

"So how is everyone?" Koyaiba asked, walking through the gates into the outside world. "Rested? Ready?"

Everyone kind of shrugged. There wasn't much to say to that. But Koyaiba kept fishing for conversation. "Everyone been outside the village before?"

Everyone nodded.

"Well...good..." Koyaiba said, falling silent. A few minutes later he spoke up again. "If we're going to be operating as a team I need to know everyone's capabilities. I know we have an Aburame, a Yamanaka, and an Akimichi, so I get your basic capabilities...and Tenten, you're a ranged expert right?"

Tenten nodded. "You point it out and I'll hit it with a kunai."

Koyaiba nodded. "I assume everyone can wall walk? What about water walking?"

Chouji raised a hand. "Ino and I are still having a little trouble water walking. We can do it, but fighting on water wouldn't be a good idea for us."

Koyaiba nodded. "Thank you Chouji. If anyone else has any issues, I need to know them. I can't plan out a strategy if I don't know what weaknesses I need to avoid."

Shino raised a hand. "As an Aburame, I am not wholly suited for direct combat. However, I can know where everyone on this team is at all times, as well as have an ariel view of the battlefield."

Koyaiba nodded. "Good. You'll stick to the back. Help direct us. You're also our recon man. Do you have bugs scouting now?"

Shino looked vaguely offended. "Of course."

"I want bugs out at all times, understand? I don't care if you have to swap them out, but keep a 360 area scan active at all times. Can you do it while you're asleep?"

"Not advisable," Shino said. "The bugs are more unfocused without me to direct them. They might not be the best option."

Koyaiba bit his lip. "Tenten, how much ninja wire do you have?"

Tenten held up a sealing scroll. "About half a kilometer."

"Alright. I'll need some of that to set up a temporary alarm when we're sleeping. Is that alright?"

"Of course."

Koyaiba turned to Chouji and Ino. "Ino, there's no Nara here to bind an opponent, but you'll be perfect for interrogation. We may also have to use you as bait. Are you ok with that?"

Ino shrugged. "What kind of bait?"

"Have you ever taken a kunoichi infiltration class?"

Ino paled. "Y...yes."

Tenten frowned. "Koyaiba, I can do that. If Ino feels uncomfortable we shouldn't-"

Koyaiba cut her off. "Can Ino use a kunai to pin a fly to the wall from 100 paces away? Without killing it?"

Tenten said nothing. "We all have our strengths and weaknesses," Koyaiba said. "If you don't like an assignment, tough. Specialize in something else."

Nobody talked for the rest of the day.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Ino awoke to the sound of something breaking.

For a second she thought she had imagined it, and she rolled over to go back to sleep. Tenten was sleeping peacefully on the other side of the tent, drooling a little and smiling.

Another crash. Ino blinked groggily, sitting up in her sleeping bag. Something was getting smashed...she got up, wrapping her blanket around her shoulders, and pushed the door flap to the side, walking out into the small campsite they had made. The fire was still mostly up, but Ino prodded with a stick a few times to keep it going. There was no movement in the boys' tent. So what-

Another crash. It was coming from somewhere the forest, roughly to her right. Ino considered waking up Koyaiba, but decided against it - she could check it out herself, and if it turned out to be dangerous it wouldn't be difficult to wake the others up. A well places scream should do it just fine.

She walked a little further into the woods and peered into the darkness.

Ok.

She hadn't been expecting that.

Koyaiba stood in the forest, shirtless, barefoot and panting. A sealing scroll was laid out across the ground next to him, filled with cheap looking, breakable things - cups and plates and little glass dolls.

Koyaiba picked one up and threw it at the nearest tree as hard as he could. It shattered into a hundred pieces, and Koyaiba picked up another one and did the same thing.

"Koyaiba-san?"

Koyaiba turned to her, a glass doll clutched in his hand. When he saw her he sighed and dropped the doll to the forest floor, sitting down next to the sealing scroll. "Ino. Did I wake you up?"

Ino nodded wordlessly. She wasn't sure what to say.

Koyaiba sighed and put his head in his hands. "Jeez...I'm sorry Ino. For waking you up and... and for what I said earlier."

Ino walked over to him. "Uh...It's ok?"

Koyaiba shook his head. "It's not. I snapped at you and I shouldn't have. And I was out of line. It's completely understandable for you to be hesitant about that kind of infiltration ops. It's not my job to judge if you're ready for that." He sighed. "I've had a...rough couple of weeks. I'm not myself."

Ino sat down beside him, pressing her knees up against her chest and wrapping her blanket tightly around herself. "Tenten told me about Rhea."

Koyaiba glanced at her. "Did she."

Ino nodded. "She told me she was your teammate. I'm so sorry...I can't even imagine what it must feel like to lose a teammate."

Without warning, Koyaiba leapt to his feet and grabbed a tiny glass sphere. He hurled t as hard as he could against the tree and it shattered. "Rhea was more than just a teammate."

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

AN: Chapter came up quick this time. It's the longest one to date too. I feel pretty proud of myself. Hope you guys are still enjoying the story!


	20. Survivor

"And then what happened?" Chouji asked, barely glancing up from his meal.

"Nothing," Ino said, grinding her teeth in frustration. "I asked him if he wanted to talk about it but he just stood up and resealed everything into the scroll. Said we should get some sleep."

"He does not seem unusually tired today," Shino said from behind her.

Ino jerked her head around to look at the Aburame. "Were you listening in on us?"

Shino nodded his head, sitting on the grass next to her and Chouji. "I apologize. I suspected you were speaking about Koyaiba and so resorted to eavesdropping. It will not happen again."

"You really shouldn't do that Shino," Ino said. "It's not really any of your buisness."

Shino gave her a puzzled look. "On the contrary. It is most definitely my buisness. It is all of our businesses. If our chunin leader is emotionally unstable we have a much higher chance of dieing on this mission. If he isn't fit to lead, it might be best to abandon the mission right now."

"I don't think we're in danger," Chouji said, licking his plate clean. "My Dad says he has a pretty good track record. He's pretty well liked around the village, actually."

"It's because he stays out of the way," Shino said. "Respects his superiors and elders and doesn't draw attention to himself. Do that, and you get respect. Do the opposite..."

"And you get Naruto." Ino said. Shino chuckled.

"Yes. I suppose you do."

"Hey guys! C'mon!" Tenten shouted from a little down the road. "Hurry up! Koyaiba's left already - he wanted to do some scouting."

Ino jumped to her feet and grabbed her bag, yanking Chouji to his feet along with her. The three rookies fell into step behind Tenten, Ino occupying herself by watching out for any rare flowers.

It was Tenten who broke the silence. "So this Sasuke kid, how good is he really? I've heard nothing but praise, but Lee beat him pretty easy so..."

Ino arched an eyebrow. "He's only the most talented genin since his brother."

Tenten cracked a grin. "The Hyuuga may have something to say about that. Neji in particular."

Ino waved a hand dismissively. "They don't know what they're talking about. Sasuke blew through the academy without even trying. And he's only gotten stronger since then. He awakened the Sharingan on his first real mission and is already amazing with it," she said.

Tenten's grin widened. "Sounds like someone's got a crush."

Ino's face flared red. "It is not a _crush_," she said defensively. "It's...it's..."

"It's a crush," Chouji said absently, staring up into the sky. "She's infatuated with him. You should hear her and Shikamaru go back and forth sometimes...when he isn't afraid of her hitting him of course."

Tenten smacked Chouji's shoulder. Tenten snorted. "Don't feel bad Ino. Such a strong bond between teammates is good for a team. You either learn to like each other, or at least tolerate each other, or die."

"Yeah, yeah," Ino said, scuffing her foot on the path. "No need to go into a lecture. I'm not in the academy."

There was a long silence as everyone tried to figure out what to say.

"So..." Chouji said after a moment. "Chunin exams. Crazy, huh?"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Koyaiba arrived at the town about an hour before the main group would. He leapt from a tree and landed on a rooftop, his entrance hidden from sight by a standard genjutsu. It wouldn't fool a professional, but hopefully it should stop any civilians from noticing another traveller had entered the town.

He would need to get some scouting done before the others arrived. If they came in blind they could scare the target and ruin all of Team Two's work so far. Koyaiba leapt to another building, stumbling a bit as he hit the roof. With his yari no longer strapped across his back he was off balance - it would be a while before he was completely comfortable moving without it.

He needed to find Team Two, but he didn't know how. Summoning the squirrels would work, but he wanted to stay subtle. And as effective as the squirrels were, they had never even heard of subtlety.

So instead he was going to play a game.

He reached his hand into his pack and grabbed a small sealing scroll where he kept personal knick-knacks. A few seconds later, there was a small wooden whistle in his hand. Koyaiba pressed it to his mouth and blew, shoving the scroll back into his pouch before continuing his travel around the city. The whistle was for a game he and his classmates had used to play as kids - it produced a uniquely high pitched note that was not only memorable, but really fucking annoying.

It didn't take long for Gan to land behind him. "Please stop blowing that thing. Or I will break it."

Koyaiba turned and grinned. The Aburame was dressed in a large brown cloak that covered his entire face in shadow. He was wrapped in it, preventing Koyaiba from really seeing him, but Gan looked tired - he was hunched, breathing heavily, and he sounded much older than he had when Koyaiba had seen him last.

"Why do you even still have that?" Gan asked, as Koyaiba put the whistle in his pocket. "Let alone on your person."

Koyaiba shrugged. "I like to be prepared. Where are Inisha and Ryouga?"

Gan slumped visibly, shakily regaining his composure. "Dead. Who did you come with?"

Koyaiba stared at him.

"They're both dead?" He said, putting his head in his hands. "Shit Gan, what the hell happened? Did the target get them?"

Gan hesitated. "I...don't know. I don't think so."

"So it was unrelated," Koyaiba said. "God, this isn't good. I've got fresh genin with me."

Gan cursed. "Genin? Are they here yet?"

"No," Koyaiba said, shaking his head. "They're behind me. They'll be here soon."

Gan sighed. "We arrived thinking this was going to be a relatively simple job," he said, beginning the explanation without Koyaiba having to ask. "All evidence pointed to just another psycho civilian. No real threat, to us at least. But no matter where we went, he was always a step ahead. Every lead we had ended up dead. But finally, we got to a lead before he did. We were getting so close...and then Ryouga and Inisha died."

"How?" Koyaiba asked. "Why don't you think it was the target?"

Gan looked away. "There's still no direct evidence pointing to the target having any specialized training. They could still be just some random civilian, in which case they wouldn't have stood a chance against either Inisha or Ryouga, let alone both of them. Secondly, their wounds were vastly different from anything we'd found before. The previous ones were precise but messy - Inisha guessed it was some kind of serrated knife. These were clean cuts, including one that completely shattered Ryouga's leg...and that points to abnormal strength that the target has never shown before."

"Just our luck," Koyaiba said. "Because one killer isn't enough. We had to stumble on two of them." He shook his head. "Much better."

"It is a worrying coincidence," Gan said.

Koyaiba shook his head. "Last time I wrote something off as a coincidence, Rhea ended up dead. They're related. Somehow. At least until we find evidence otherwise."

"Fair enough. But I do have a theory," Gan said, "about the identity of the second killer. Not too long ago, a rogue ninja stomped through Stone territory, killing ninja from famous clans. They called him Fourteen. The information was supposed to be secret, but it got leaked not long after reaching Konoha."

"I remember reading about that," Koyaiba said, frowning. "I thought the Stone took care of that guy."

"No," Gan said, "they didn't. They set a trap and it failed, and he got away. Headed East."

"And if he was looking for famous clans..."

"Konoha would be the first place he'd go," Gan finished. "If it's him, then we're abandoning the mission, period. We won't be able to handle him."

"Agreed," Koyaiba said. "What are we going to do?"

"For now? Scout," Gan said. Bugs began to drift from under his cloak, taking off in different directions. "How many genin did you bring? And do you still have those squirrel summons?"

"Four genin, including your little cousin Shino," Koyaiba said, pulling out a scroll and kunai. "And of course I still have the squirrels."

"Get them scouting out the village. When the genin arrive we'll make our move," Gan said. "Inisha, Ryouga and I managed to track the target to an abandon storehouse on the edge of town. I've got bugs on the place, and so far nobody's entered or left. If the target's in there, we need to strike hard and fast."

"Do we have to deal with the law with this guy?" Koyaiba asked, cutting his palm open and letting the blood drip down to the scroll.

"The Hokage authorized the use of lethal force. With probable cause." Gan said.

Koyaiba nodded, forming several hand seals. "That simplifies things. Summoning jutsu!"

The scouting seven were immediately in front of him. "KOYAIBA!" They shouted in unison, rocketing forward and knocking him on his butt. "We missed you!"

"Missed you guys too..." Koyaiba said from under them. "But there's work to be done guys. Gan needs this town scouted out for anything or anybody out of the ordinary. Also, if you see any leaf ninja...the ones with the spirals on their headbands...tell them Koyaiba is waiting for them on the top of the bright green building."

The scouting seven leaped to their feet and threw a salute. "KOYAIBA YES KOYAIBA!" They shouted, scampering off in different directions faster than Koyaiba could follow.

Gan turned away. "How long will the genin be?"

Koyaiba shrugged. "Not sure. Thirty, forty minutes?"

Gan said nothing for a few minutes. Then, finally, "My bugs are picking something up. There's movement around the warehouse the target is in. We have to move."

"The genin aren't here yet," Koyaiba said. "Can't we stall him?"

"I don't have enough bugs there to do anything that would really slow him down," Gan said. "And he's so close...we have to move."

Koyaiba cursed and began scribbling hastily on the back of one of his sealing scrolls.

"What are you doing?" Gan asked.

"Leaving a message," Koyaiba said, putting the scroll on the roof. "Hopefully we'll have wrapped this up before they get here, but if not they'll know what we're doing. The squirrels will help them find us."

Gan nodded curtly. "Follow," he said, leaping off the building. His cloak caught the wind around him, actually allowing him to glide the short distance to the next rooftop. Koyaiba shook his head. Leave it to an Aburame...

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Koyaiba and Gan hit the roof of the warehouse without making a sound. Gan motioned towards a window on the wall to their right, and Koyaiba nodded.

Gan, his feet glowing with chakra, approached the window. He fiddled with it for a moment before it clicked open, and his cloak suddenly tightened around him (Koyaiba suspected it was the bugs) as he squeezed through.

Koyaiba came through after him, sticking his feet to the ceiling and following Gan with silent footsteps. Neither of the said anything, and then Gan motioned downwards. Koyaiba nodded, and they both dropped - Gan using his cloak to slow his fall and Koyaiba muffling his landing with chakra. Gan started forward, his hand outstretched, and touched it lightly to a door.

The door exploded violently outwards.

Gan screamed, a sharp sound that suddenly cut off. Koyaiba leapt back, his feet sticking to an enormous crate behind him, and gasped as he saw Gan's body lifted into the air.

Whoever had attacked them currently had their hand around Gan's throat. He was covered head to toe in a white and brown armor, which was torn an cut in some places but otherwise intact. He held a kama in one hand, and on his head was a helmet made out of some kind of one way glass.

Scratched onto it was the number 14.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**AN: ** PLOT!

Didn't like this chapter a whole lot...it felt kind of rushed. But I figured it had been a while since my last update so I went ahead and put it out there. Next chapter should be up much faster (and will be longer!)


	21. Difficulties

Before Koyaiba could so much as move, Fourteen had crushed Gan's throat.

Blood began pouring down the Aburame's torso, and Fourteen pushed the chin of his helmet up, touching his mouth to the blood. He growled, an inhuman, feral sound, and casually tossed Gan's corpse across the room, readjusting his helmet as he did so.

Koyaiba ran.

His feet hit the wall with a thud, sticking to it, and he ran up towards the skylight he and Gan had entered just moments earlier. He leapt through it, but Fourteen was hot on his tail, fingers burrowing into the wall to form makeshift handholds.

Koyaiba popped up onto the roof and kept running, reaching for the smoke bombs in his pack. He threw them behind him and they exploded into a dark cloud that Fourteen charged through without slowing down. The armored man kept coming, lowering his shoulder and hitting Koyaiba so hard the chunin was thrown off the roof.

Koyaiba screamed and tried to get a good grip on something, anything, but it was useless. He hit the bottom of the alley with a thud, and Fourteen followed him. Koyaiba rolled to the right, and Fourteen's kama missed him by inches, digging a deep furrow into the concrete. Koyaiba kicked the back of Fourteen's knee, sending the man sprawling, and yanked his new weapon from it's sheath. He stabbed down, but Fourteen rolled onto his back and grabbed the stick before Koyaiba managed to impale him.

Koyaiba brought his foot back and kicked a cloud of dust at Fourteen, who flinched instinctively. With a mighty heave, the leaf ninja pulled his weapon loose and took off again, trying to put as much distance as possible between himself and Fourteen.

Fourteen pushed himself to his feet and roared, a literal battle cry that shook the earth around him. He charged Koyaiba, who threw a kunai at him, taking the sharp piece of metal in the shoulder and landing a solid hit on Koyaiba's ribs.

Koyaiba was thrown a good 10 feet, hitting the ground and skidding before coming to rest.

Koyaiba coughed, small flecks of red landing on the road in front of him. Fourteen made some kind of grating sound that sounded more animal than man, and in less than a moment covered the ground between him and Koyaiba.

Koyaiba raised one arm in weak defense, but Fourteen batted it away with contemptuous ease. The armored murderer raised his kama above his head and brought it down.

He got about halfway before a kunai went through his hand and caused him to drop the kama.

Fourteen recoiled in pain and surprise - the kunai was halfway through his hand and no doubt incredibly painful. He didn't have much time to recover before a huge green ball of death crashed into him, driving him into the street.

Koyaiba leapt back, his hands coming together to form seals. "Wind Style: Four Part Wind Cannon Jutsu!" He spat four balls of tightly compressed air that exploded on contact with the street, driving Fourteen back even further.

"Looks like we got here just in time!" Ino shouted from a rooftop, hurling shuriken at Fourteen, who was struggling to stand.

"Yeah, yeah, you're big damn heroes already," Koyaiba said, clutching his ribs. "Just kill him!"

Ino grabbed a kunai from her pouch and prepared to meet Fourteen in melee, when she was interrupted by a loud buzzing sound. Koyaiba looked up at her, eyes wide. "Is that Shino?"

Shino popped out from behind a wall. "Those are Kikaichu bugs, but not mine. They must be Gan's."

Koyaiba stared at a large, shifting black mass that was headed their way, flying past the rooftops at high speeds. "Gan is dead. This guy killed him. So what in hell..."

The kikaichu bugs were overhead in a matter of moments, diving towards Fourteen like a ton of bricks. Fourteen screamed as they hit him, but they didn't drive him to his knees, instead swarming violently around his neck.

Shino stared. "Good God. They're...they're making him a hive."

Koyaiba looked closer. The Kikaichu bugs were, in fact, burrowing into Fourteen's skin. The rogue ninja was panting heavily, but his injuries were already healing, and the bugs were diving into his body, slowly vanishing from sight.

"That is _disgusting_," Ino said, her eyes wide.

Fourteen stood slowly, looking curiously at his hands. Finally he looked up towards the sky, made a rasping sound Koyaiba took to be a laugh, and charged.

He dropped down to his hands and feet, bones elongating, and in a flash of insight, Koyaiba recognized the Inuzuka clan's signature Four Legs jutsu.

After a moment of contemplation, he began to panic.

"He can steal clan techniques!" Koyaiba shouted. "He can steal techniques! He stole Gan's bugs and Ryouga's Four Legs jutsu!"

"What do we do?" Chouji shouted, running up behind Koyaiba. "How do we fight him?"

Fourteen kept coming forward, but a small group of explosive notes thrown by Tenten forced him to back off. Koyaiba frowned. "He's super strong, and much faster than us. He can heal injuries, and we know he's got both Inuzuka and Aburame clan techniques. Possibly Yamanaka techniques as well, all on top of whatever he stole from the Stone. I don't know if we _can_ fight him."

"We have to try," Shino said, raising his hands towards Fourteen. "I cannot, in good conscience, allow him to escape with my clan's techniques."

Koyaiba grit his teeth. "Fine. But if this mission goes any more to hell, we're bailing."

Shino nodded. "That is acceptable." Bugs flew out from his sleeves, surrounding Fourteen in a haze of little black bodies. Fourteen growled, and bugs of his own leapt from his neck, immediately engaging Shino's bugs.

Ino, Tenten, Chouji, and Koyaiba all pulled up short. They couldn't attack Fourteen without risking injury to Shino's bugs, so instead they busied themselves with pulling out weapons.

A lot of weapons.

Koyaiba grabbed his summoning scroll and poked his finger with a kunai, making a few hand seals before slamming his palm onto the scroll. Two enormous squirrels, each as big as a person, popped into existence, both dressed in samurai armor and holding katana. One was dressed in blue armor, the other red.

"Roni! Boni!" Koyaiba shouted to the two squirrels. "The one in white's your target! Get him!"

The two squirrels dashed forward without a word, leaping over the wall of bugs and coming down hard on Fourteen. Roni slashed his sword forward, but Fourteen dove under it and between the squirrel's legs, popping back up to a normal human form. He dodged the next slash and hit Roni's wrist with a bone-shattering palm thrust, disarming the armored squirrel. Roni let out a screech of pain and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Boni gave Fourteen only slightly more trouble. While the murderer was distracted by Roni's sudden un-summoning, Boni landed a long cut along Fourteen's arm. Fourteen recoiled and kicked Boni in the face - the squirrel un-summoned as soon as the foot made contact.

By now the bugs had drifted away into little pockets, still battling among themselves. Fourteen's bugs were bigger and older, but Shino's had an Aburame directing them, and actively feeding them chakra. Shino would win, eventually, but it would take time.

Fourteen charged again, dodging Tenten's barrage of shuriken, and Chouji met him head on. Fourteen roared and grabbed the Akimichi by the arm, throwing him into a nearby wall. Chouji stood back up, apparently unfazed, and suddenly turned into a giant ball, rolling towards Fourteen with a vengeance.

Fourteen dodged, but as soon as he popped to his feet, Ino was on him, hitting him with punches and kicks. Koyaiba suddenly understood why the Akimichi/Yamanaka/Nara team worked so well together - they had been trained since they were children to complement each other. Even without 1/3 of their usual team, even denied their standard tactics, they were using superb teamwork to hold their own against an enemy far outside their weight class. As soon as Fourteen began getting the upper hand on Ino, Chouji would roll in and throw him off balance, giving Ino a chance to get back in the fight. And every time he attacked, Chouji came closer to landing a solid blow - something that would at least slow Fourteen down, no matter how tough he was.

But good things couldn't last. Fourteen growled and landed a chop on Ino's neck, causing the Yamanaka to crumple. Before Fourteen could land a finishing blow however, Tenten leapt in.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Tenten had been peppering Fourteen with long ranged attacks, but had quickly learned that unless she landed a really damaging hit, he'd just heal within a matter of moments. So she had left the fighting to Chouji and Ino and had instead focused on analyzing Fourteen's fighting style. It was one of the first things Guy had taught his team to do, and Tenten found it an incredibly useful skill.

The first thing she noticed was that she didn't recognize his combat style at all. It looked strangely like the advanced forms of Stone Traditional, but things were horribly off - like someone had taken the basics of Stone Traditional and twisted them around until the new style was a completely new beast. But it didn't fit any of the style Gai had taught them, and that worried her.

Perhaps it was just Fourteen. He moved in a jerky, erratic way, like someone who had learned a style, but forgotten most of it after years of not practicing. He relied mainly on brute force, powering through his opponent's defenses and putting them out with a few blows.

So Tenten danced around him, using two kunai to occupy his attention and generally annoy the hell out of him. Fourteen was growling again, an inhuman sound that was slowly rising in pitch and length. He finally just stuck his hand in front of Tenten's kunai, letting the konoha genin impale his palm.

Fourteen yanked his bloodied hand back as Tenten shrieked, bounding away. Koyaiba hit the ground in front of her, whipping his stick towards Fourteen's head. Fourteen ducked and landed a pile driver blow in Koyaiba's chest, throwing the chunin back.

Tenten almost cursed. Koyaiba was a good fighter, but he was injured, and was in no condition to take on someone like Fourteen. But the chunin struggled back to his feet, breathing heavily, and lifted the stick in defiance, screaming as he charged Fourteen. Fourteen smacked him out of the way, but Koyaiba had served as a distraction, and a moment later Chouji slammed into Fourteen from behind, crushing him flat under the Akimichi's Human Bullet Tank. Fourteen screamed in pain, struggling to one knee as Chouji rounded for another go.

Chouji began rolling again, but Fourteen held up a hand. An explosion rocked the air, and Tenten was forced to shield her eyes from the resulting debris.

"He's got the blast element bloodline!" Koyaiba shouted from somewhere to her right. "Everyone take cover!"

More explosions tore through the air, and Tenten threw herself behind a nearby building. She was breathing heavily, but couldn't see or worth anything. Fourteen was throwing out blasts with impunity, completely ripping up the surrounding area. It must've taken ungodly amounts of chakra, but if he could absorb bloodlines and clan techniques, it was completely possible that he could absorb chakra as well. For all they knew, he could keep this up all day.

The explosions stopped for a split second, and Tenten poked her head around a corner. The houses and street around Fourteen were basically destroyed, but Tenten didn't see any bodies - hopefully any civilians had evacuated long ago.

"Koyaiba!" She shouted. Koyaiba's voice reached her a second later, but she couldn't see him.

"Tenten! Are you hurt? Stay where you are! I'll get to you!" His voice had a touch of panic to it, and Tenten called back quickly.

"I'm fine!" She shouted. "Swear! And I think I have something that can stop this guy! I need a distraction!"

"You've got it!" Koyaiba shouted. "Chouji! Ino! Did you hear that?"

Tenten heard some muffled affirmatives and reached into her weapons pouch, pulling out a bright red scroll. "Alright! Go!"

Koyaiba, Chouji and Ino leapt out of cover, all three rushing Fourteen at once. Fourteen roared, letting loose more blast element attacks, but the three Konoha genin dodged away, continuing towards Fourteen.

Tenten's feet began to glow with blue chakra and she stuck one to the wall of the building next to her, running up the wall to what was left of the roof. She ripped open the scroll, and was faced with a complex array of seals that zig-zagged up and down the page. Circles overlapped with a spiderweb, forming a tight network that kept the kunai _in_ until she wanted them to come _out_. Traingles interspaced with squares and an odd, curved/spike design held chakra that would activate the nasty surprise hidden within.

Shishi had called it one of the most complicated sealing scrolls he had ever seen. Using this would probably render her unconscious, but taking down Fourteen would be worth it.

She drew a line across her pointer and middle fingers with a shuriken, carefully placing her blood where it needed to be. With a flourish, she picked up the scroll. "It's ready! Scatter!" She shouted.

Koyaiba, Chouji, and Ino took off, leaving a very confused and angry Fourteen in the middle of the street. He roared in frustration, shifting back and forth as if unable to decide which konoha ninja to chase after.

Tenten threw the scroll.

it unfurled completely in the air, almost two dozen feet of scroll at full length, temporarily floating above a very pissed looking Fourteen. Tenten pressed her hands together, releasing chakra.

"Perfect storm. Release."

Kunai began to rain from the scroll - first dozens of them, then what seemed like hundreds. Fourteen roared in pain and ducked down, but he was soon obscured by a solid sheet of falling metal. Kunai covered the street, the walls, and Tenten saw Koyaiba, Ino and Chouji scurry even further away. Tenten herself leapt backwards putting more distance between her and what was about to happen. She couldn't see Fourteen moving, but that didn't matter. She grimaced and kept her hands pressed together. "Release."

Every single kunai suddenly exploded as the exploding tags tied to them detonated. The shock wave literally threw Tenten to her butt, blinding and deafening her. Then the chakra zipped out of her, and she collapsed.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Ino couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Tenten, the girl who couldn't even beat lazy-ass Shikamaru, had just obliterated a city block.

Koyaiba was gasping for breath, Chouji helping support him as they stumbled closer to ground zero of Tenten's attack. Ino squinted through the dust and debris...only to see a shadow.

A moving shadow.

Ino's breath caught in her throat, even as she began making hand seals. Fourteen was alive. He was alive, but hurt. Moving slowly. He was so fast normally...this might be her only chance.

"Mind body switch jutsu!"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The attack was slow. So painfully slow. But to Ino, it was like no time had passed when she woke up in Fourteen's body.

It was not like she had expected. Normally, when she possessed a body, it was like waking up in her own...except it was someone else's. Sure, she might have to struggle a little with the original owner of the body, but she always won. The mind body switch was unstoppable - at least, once it had hit it's target.

But this time, Ino found herself in an abandon mountain path. It was dark, a too-large moon hanging high in the sky, and it was absolutely _freezing_. Ino hugged her arms, trying to get her bearings.

Her back was to a wall. There was only one way to go. Forward. So she started walking, each step echoing oddly in the empty path. One foot in front of the other.

She emerged from the pass to see Gan blocking her way.

"Ino?" He said, obviously surprised. He sounded like he was coming from very far away, and didn't seem quite...solid.

"Gan!" She said. She had met the older boy in the academy - they had never been good friends (or even distant friends, something more along the lines of acquaintances) but she at least knew his name. "I thought you were dead!"

"I am," Gan said flatly. "In a sense. Ino, you shouldn't be here."

"Where is here?" Ino asked. "I tried to possess Fourteen and wound up...wherever this is. Did I miss? Or am I dead too?"

Gan coughed. "No, you hit your target. I'm fairly sure we're in Fourteen's mind."

"Well...ok," Ino said after a moment. "I can work with that."

Gan shook his head. "No. It's too dangerous. He's already fully assimilated Inisha. He knows your tricks. And he's starting to notice you're here." Ino shivered, becoming vaguely aware of shifting shadows in the blackness behind Gan.

"But you're here," she said. "Gan you can help us! Cripple him from the inside!"

Gan shook his head. "I've tried Ino. Even without his access to Inisha's training, he'd still be able to stop me."

"Well you can keep trying! You have to!" Ino begged.

"I'm sorry Ino. He's already started the assimilation. I can't help you. And in a few minutes...I might not want to." He lashed out and hit Ino in the face.

Ino fell backwards with a gasp of surprise, and felt her eyes fly open. Her physical eyes. She looked around to see that she was back in her body, a small bit of blood leaking from her nose. Further investigation showed that she was currently slung over Chouji's shoulder, who was apparently running at full speed.

"Let me down Chouji. I can run," Ino said, and only a moment later Chouji loosened his grip. "What the hell's going on?"

"We're running away," Chouji said, as if that explained everything. Koyaiba was slightly in front of them, toying desperately with a small radio. Shino was running through the trees above them, carrying an unconscious Tenten.

"He's turning around," Shino said suddenly. "My bugs can sense it."

"Then let's chase him!" Ino shouted. "Come on! We've got him on the run!"

Koyaiba shook his head. "No way. We hurt him - made him decide we're not worth the trouble to chase. But if we go after him he'll kill us."

"Then what?" Ino asked. "Are we just giving up?"

"Giving up is such an ugly phrase...I prefer pulling a tactical retreat," Koyaiba said.

Ino cursed. "We messed up, didn't we."

Koyaiba shrugged, twisting his neck around to glance at her. "We survived. That's the most important thing. And considering we had to go up against an ANBU level serial killer, it's also pretty damn impressive." He grinned, but Ino could see a brief flash of pain pass over his face. They hadn't gotten out of this fight unscathed - not by a long shot.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

**AN: **Hmf. This didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped. Though I do have some good plans for the invasion, it'll be maybe a chapter or two before we return to the exams. As always, hope that everyone enjoyed it!


	22. Reflection

It had been six days since they had left Konoha to meet with Team Two, 3 days since they had returned. Koyaiba sat up in his bed with a groan, his entire body aching despite the medical treatment he had received.

Of all of them, Tenten was in the worst shape. She had been forced to take an immediate chakra transfusion, which was never good - the foreign energy would play merry hell with her chakra system even as it pulled her from the brink of death. Koyaiba's injuries had been purely physical, and though they hurt, they were little more than annoyances for the Konoha medical staff. Thanks to Tsunade's reforms during the last Great Ninja war, Konoha was on the cutting edge of medical technology and jutsu, and Koyaiba had seen doctors heal patients so close to death their hearts had stopped. But when questioned about it, each healer responded with the same thing - they were nowhere near the level of the hospital's most revered healer, Tsunade. There was even a statue of her in the hospital's lobby. Allegedly, the sanin hated the thing, but there it stood.

"Kohinata-san! You're awake!" Koyaiba looked over to see a young girl without a forehead protector pushing a cart ladened with food. "The healers said you would be up soon. I'm Rayame. I'm volunteering here from the academy," she explained, reaching to the lower levels of the cart and pulling out a clipboard. "The healers said that there were no lasting injuries and you were cleared to leave as soon as you signed these papers. Also, the Hokage would like to see you at your earliest convenience."

"Thanks Rayame," Koyaiba said sleepily, signing the papers without really looking them over. "How's everyone else?"

Aburame, Yamanaka, and Akimichi-san all left after getting a nights worth of sleep," Rayame said. "Hisagi-san is still here, but the doctors said she'll make a full recovery."

"Awesome," Koyaiba said, handing the papers back to the girl and throwing the covers of the bed off him. He was already dressed, and the stick sat on the bedside table next to him. He stood and rolled his shoulders, wincing as he tested out his muscles for the first time in a few days. He rubbed his eyes and walked out of the hospital, running his hands over his normally shaved head. His hair was coming in, and he made a mental note to visit the barber next time he had the chance.

He reached the Hokage's office in no time, as it was very close to the hospital. Pushing open the double doors, he nodded to the chunin at the front desk and headed up the stairs.

The Hokage was waiting for him in his office, scribbling on a few papers while he smoked his pipe. Koyaiba knocked, and the Hokage looked up, smiling. "Ah, Koyaiba. Good to see you're alright."

"It was no issue," Koyaiba said, shutting the door and sitting down. "I'll have the report written up as soon as possible."

The Hokage nodded. "Good, good. Shino told me of it, briefly. Apparently it didn't go as planned."

"Not at all sir. We encountered a high powered rogue ninja, the criminal Fourteen from out west."

The Hokage sighed. "My track record for sending genin on low rank missions is getting worse and worse, is it not?"

"I wouldn't worry about it sir. Nobody could've seen that coming."

"True enough," the Hokage said. "I have an ANBU squad tracking Fourteen now. Hopefully we'll bring him down - we could even collect the bounty the Stone has out for him." He shuffled a few papers. "But that's not why I brought you here. We need to discuss your long term mission. We haven't spoken since before the chunin exams, and doubtlessly you have many observations to share."

Koyaiba nodded. "Is there anyone in particular you'd like to hear about?"

The Hokage rubbed his chin. "Hinata. You seemed particularly interested in the girl, and I have to admit, her exam match brought out a certain...curiosity."

"Well it's painfully obvious the girl's in love with Naruto," Koyaiba said. "When he was talking to her after her match, she looked like she was in heaven."

"I see...and how does this help us?"

"Well you've got to look at it deeper," Koyaiba explained. "There's got to be some reason she likes him, and I can only find two. Either she let her low self esteem get to her and decided to crush on the only boy she would face no competition for...or she sees something in Naruto that she doesn't see from anyone else."

The Hokage arched an eyebrow. "Such as?"

"Hell...I mean heck if I know," Koyaiba said. "I mean there's got to be something about Naruto that doesn't utterly repulse her. Ko mentions that she's not supposed to be hanging out with him so maybe it's a rebellion against her dad. But Hinata seems too timid to be doing something like that, at least intentionally. And she didn't look smug enough when Naruto did pay attention to her."

"Interesting..." The Hokage said. "You know, Hinata's been training with her father for the tournament..."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

_Hyuga Compound_

"I certainly hope you don't perform that way when in the exam."

Hinata lashed out again, but her strike just missed her younger sister, and she payed for it when Hanabi hit her, hard, in the stomach. There was no chakra in the strike, per their fathers' orders, but it still hurt. And had this been a real fight, that would've been a game ending hit right there.

Hiashi watched impassively as Hinata launched into a barrage of blows, none of which came close to Hanabi. The younger Hyuga girl blocked them with surprising ease and bent low, sweeping Hinata's legs out from under her with a picture perfect kick. As Hinata hit the ground, Hanabi tapped her older sister's chest with two fingers.

Hiashi turned to leave. "That is enough for the day. If you have not improved by now you may never get any better. How you managed to make it this far is a mystery that I cannot unravel - everything you have shown me here points to failing to get past the second stage of the exam." He peered at her quietly. "Are you hiding something?"

Hinata looked at her feet. "Of c-course not. F-father."

Hiashi sniffed and walked away.

"I'm sorry Hinata-nee-san," Hanabi said quietly. "I didn't want to go my hardest but..."

Hinata hugged her sister tight. "I know. Father would have seen it. You did well Hanabi." She pulled away and smiled at her sister. "You're going to be a great ninja. Don't...don't let me distract you from being the best you can be."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

_Hokage's Office_

"Interesting..." The Hokage said. "You know, Hinata's been training with her father for the tournament..."

"I know could've guessed," Koyaiba said. "The Hyuga really don't like outside help when it comes to combat. I can only hope that this prolonged exposure to her father doesn't...hurt her in any way."

"Quite," The Hokage said. "But enough about the Hyuga heiress. What did you think about her teammate, Shino?"

"Shino's a good kid," Koyaiba said. "He stays calm, he's honest, and while he's not the best at straight up combat he's an excellent choice for recon and has a wide variety of skills. He'd make a good chunin. And a good Jounin, somewhere down the line."

The Hokage nodded. "He's rather reserved."

Koyaiba shrugged. "Yeah, but he's an Aburame. I mean, they're a kind of reserved clan. You would be too, if you had a colony of bugs crawling around under your skin."

The Hokage chuckled. "Perhaps. I suppose I should ask about Inuzuka Kiba...though you haven't spent much time with him, you got a look at him during the exams. Was it enough to formulate any opinions?"

Koyaiba leaned back in his chair. "Maybe. He's stubborn, that much is for sure. And fiercely protective of that his dog, though that's not a surprise. I was impressed by his match - no fancy footwork, a straight old fashioned brawl. He's got a lot of strength and toughness, and he isn't exactly slow either. He's confident in his abilities, but maybe a little too confident...which isn't exactly unusual, considering who his mother is. But overall I think his behaviour is pretty normal for an Inuzuka."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

_Inuzuka Compound_

"But Moooom! This is boring! Can't we just get to the sparring?" Kiba asked, as he stared at a huge blackboard.

Tsume laughed, ruffling her son's hair. "C'mon kid. It isn't that bad. And both you and I know that Sakura is training with Kurenai. Which means..."

"That she's learning genjutsu," Kiba replied sullenly. "And that I need to learn how to fight it."

"Exactly," Tsume said. "You at least have to be able to recognize and break yourself out of it. It's a valuable skill - and it's a good thing you're learning it now."

"But I can get Hinata or Shino to break me out if I get caught in genjutsu! They're good at that stuff!"

"You might not always have Hinata or Shino. You won't against Sakura," Tsume pointed out. "You just have to take away her advantage and play this match on your own terms. We both know that she can't match you physically, but she'll know that too. She's gonna be tricky, and you have to be able to stop that."

"Fine," Kiba said, petting Akamaru's head. "But promise we can do some sparring later."

Tsume laughed again. "Of course we can kid. Don't worry - you'll be plenty black and blue by dinner time."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

_Hokage's Office_

"But overall I think his behaviour is pretty normal for an Inuzuka."

"Fair enough," The Hokage said. "And that rounds up Team Eight. Tell me, what about Yamanaka Ino? Did you find anything interesting I should know?"

"I think she's more intelligent than she lets on," Koyaiba said frankly. "She's been raised around Shikamaru all her life, and since even I know he's a bit of a sexist than she must get a lot of crap from him. That's the kind of stuff that motivates someone to get their act together most of the time, and I can honestly see why she was rated the best kunoichi of the class." He ran his hand over his head. "Uh...hm. She's got some impressive hand to hand skills, but obviously her specialty isn't straight up combat. I think she'll make a good infiltration expert when...if...she gets older. She's got the natural confidence needed for it and she's probably a good actress as well."

"So you don't see any issues with her, mentally?" The Hokage asked.

"Not that I can see. She seems pretty well adjusted - that's the thing about coming from a ninja family. You can get things like the crazy competitiveness that the Uchiha bred or the nearly painful formality of the Hyuga, or you can get the more relaxed atmosphere of the Yamanaka or Inuzuka. It's a coin toss, honestly, whether a clan kid turns out normal or not."

"Interesting, interesting...I'll admit, it's nice to have a fresh face to talk to," The Hokage said. "I know most of my associates so well that I don't even need to see them to have a discussion with them. Having someone knew is refreshing."

"Thank you, Hokage. I'm glad I...refresh you?"

The Hokage chuckled. "But don't let me drag us away from our conversation. You mentioned that you knew Shikamaru was a sexist. Do you know anything else?"

"I think he's really smart too, he just hides it," Koyaiba said. "How smart, I don't know. Maybe...less book smarts than Sakura, but with better instincts to make up for it. I'm not sure. He keeps a level head, if only because he's so bored all the time. And honestly I'm not that surprised he's a sexist. His mom is one scary lady." He shrugged. "I don't know a lot about him, to be completely honest."

"I'll keep that in mind," The Hokage said. "Hopefully I can set up a mission for you with him. And maybe Kiba too."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

_Training Ground 2_

"Keep it up Shikamaru! When fighting a gentle fist user, even a single touch is deadly!"

Shikamaru was panting heavily, ducking and weaving around Asuma's strikes. "It would be easier without these damn weights!" he shouted, narrowly avoiding a particularly nasty hook.

Asuma grinned, pressing Shikamaru back with several more punches. "Gai specifically said that there needed to be weights. Without them, the exercises would be half as effective!"

"Oh and I suppose that's why I have to wear this too?" Shikamaru shouted back, motioning towards the bright green jumpsuit. "I look like Lee's long lost brother!"

"Also part of the training, surprisingly," Asuma said. "Something about absorbing sweat. When Gai starts talking about training or youth, I turn my ears off."

"Small mercy," Shikamaru muttered. He flipped backwards, landing nimbly on his feet. "This is the worst. Training. Ever."

"Live with it!" Asuma roared, only increasing the speed of his blows. "Ho! Ha Ha! Guard! Turn! Parry! Dodge! Spin! Ha! Thrust!" Shikamaru was nearing his limit now - a hand or foot would clip him occasionally, send him stumbling back. Finally he gave up trying to play Asuma's game and hit his sensei in the stomach. Hard

Asuma wheezed and laughed, falling backwards before rolling up to his feet. "Excellent, Shikamaru!" He said, clapping his genin on the shoulder. "Never be afraid to do the unexpected! Now how about you and me get some lunch?"

"First, get me out of these clothes."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

_Hokage's Office_

"Hopefully I can set up a mission for you with him. And maybe Kiba too."

"I'm looking forward to it," Koyaiba said, and he meant it. "Though maybe this one can be a little more...low key?"

The Hokage laughed. "I'll try. But I do feel like I have to ask - what about Chouji?"

Koyaiba thought for a moment. "Chouji is someone who can really be the heart of the group. He's, I think, the glue that sticks everyone together and keeps them going - an incredibly important part of the team when you get into a life and death situation. In fact, of everyone, I think Chouji's the most 'normal' ninja. He came into the ninja life knowing exactly what to expect and he got it." Koyaiba shrugged. "That's rare."

The Hokage nodded. "He is a good ninja. I'm sure he'll make an excellent jounin when the time comes...or maybe an academy teacher." He put his pipe in his mouth, but didn't bother to light it. "Two teams left. What about Neji? He's a bit of a priority with this assignment, should we be worried?"

"I don't know," Koyaiba admitted. "He's cold, distant, and arrogant - the perfect Hyuga. Except one thing."

"He was born in the branch."

"Exactly. I think he's more than a little bit upset about it, but more than that I can't safely say. Hanabi told me that he doesn't seem to like her, her father, or Hinata. I know about their dads. Twins, only minutes apart. Maybe he's jealous because he gets treated like a second rate citizen, while Hinata's a princess?"

"It's a possibility. I'll look into it. Or at least, have you look into it," the Hokage said, smiling. "However, there is something in particular I wanted to mention to you..." he frowned for a moment. "Ah. Yes. Curiously, Neji hasn't been showing up to any of the training grounds. And none of the Hyuga have seen him for several days..."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

_An isolated clearing on the top of the Hokage's Mountain_

"So this is where you've been."

Neji turned around. Gai stood there, in all his spandex clad glory, looking at him cooly. It surprised Neji, how different Gai looked - he had seen his sensei's serious side during missions before, but being on the receiving end was a very different experience.

He turned back around and continued meditating. "I'm training."

"Without your clan? Your mother is worried about you."

Neji's eyes narrowed. "Do not call her that."

Gai around him, taking a seat on the ground so they were facing each other. "You aren't being fair to her."

"She is not my mother. My mother is as dead as my father."

Gai shook his head. "She has cared for you for so long. If she is not your mother, who is?"

Neji said nothing for a long time. Finally, "I'm not training with the Hyuga."

"Would you tell me why?"

"They know Hinata won't make it past the first round, and they can't afford to let me outshine her in public. I wouldn't be surprised if they sabotaged my training."

Gai sighed. "And you don't think you're being at all ridiculous?"

"Please, sensei. I would just like to be left alone for a while."

Gai stood. "As you wish. If you ever need help with anything, you know where to find me."

Neji nodded wordlessly and went back to meditating. The world faded from around him until all his worries, pains, and troubles faded into simple blackness.

"I'm trying father," Neji whispered, his voice so quiet that it barely reached his own ears. "I'm trying so hard. To show them. To show them that this system is wrong." He sighed. "I don't want your sacrifice to be in vain."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

_The Hokage's Office_

"And none of the Hyuga have seen him for several days..."

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Koyaiba said. "He doesn't seem like the type to train with others. He's probably just doing some isolation training."

"I hope you're right," the Hokage said. "Though you probably are. He's done this before. He'll show up eventually. Let's see now. How about Tenten? She was excellent in the academy, but her post-graduation scores have been...depressingly average."

"Hey," Koyaiba said, slightly offended. "I _like _Tenten." The Hokage chuckled, and Koyaiba began to blush slightly. "I mean I think she's a good ninja. She...reminds me of me a little." He shrugged. "Maybe a little less needy."

"So you disagree with the idea that she's an average ninja?"

"I think she's an exceptional ninja who's overshadowed by her two genius teammates," Koyaiba said. "Kind of hard to shine when you're stuck next to people like Neji and Lee."

The Hokage nodded slightly, as if considering something. "Very well. While we're on the topic of Lee, what do you think of him?"

"What's there to say?" Koyaiba said. "To get to that level of taijutsu mastery at his age is nothing short of miraculous, but you know that better than me." He shrugged. "He seems very dedicated to Gai...which may not be a good thing, considering the spandex and all."

The Hokage grinned. "Perhaps. He's also apparently inherited his master's work ethic..."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

_Training Ground 7_

Lee stared at the chunk of rock.

Gai had said it was a special ore from the Iron Country. Dense, heavy, and nearly impossible to break. But if Lee could even dent it with his bare hands by the end of the week, Gai would teach him the next stage of the Lotus.

Lee had been pounding the rock non-stop for the past six days, and yet the rock wasn't even scratched. He was breathing heavily, his hands and bandages soaked with blood, and yet the rock was still as unblemished as the day Gai had left it there.

Lee let out a raw throated yell and charged the rock again, bringing his arm back and hitting the rock with everything he had. He felt one of his fingers crack as his blow simply bounced off, and pulled back again, gripping his half broken hand to try and stem the blood.

Still no scratch.

Lee bounded back. "Rock!" He shouted. "If I cannot break you with this next strike I will do 200 sit ups!" He charged the rock again, but his hand simply rebounded off. Lee bit back a scream of pain and dropped to his back, wearily launching into the sit ups.

After he had finished all 200, Lee sat down in front of the rock. "Why do you not break?" He asked quietly, putting his head up against the cool stone. "I do not understand. I have hit you so many times, and yet there is nothing." he sighed. "I am beginning to think I will never break you."

He looked up. "But no! Did Gai-sensei give up when he did 500 laps around Konoha on his hands? No! He continued even when all the people had gone home! And did he give up when he lost 10 challenges in a row to Kakashi? No! He challenged Kakashi again and again, and won 11 challenges in a row!" He stood, a new fire in his eyes. "Just like Gai-sensei, I will not give up! I will break this rock!" He backed up, breathing heavily, and charged the rock once more.

"Here...I...Come!"

The rock shattered.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

_The Hokage's Office_

"Perhaps. He's also apparently inherited his master's work ethic..."

"If he keeps improving at the rate he's been improving, he may be one of the strongest ninja Konoha's seen in a long time," Koyaiba said. "And unless Gai suddenly turns against the village, I can't see Lee turning traitor.

The Hokage nodded. "To round it off...I'm almost afraid to ask, but what do you think about Team Seven's changing dynamic?"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

_Outside the Konoha hot springs_

"God dammit!"

Naruto stared at the tiny tadpole that seemed determined to to suddenly transform into a giant (possibly sword wielding) toad. "Pervy Sage! When is this going to work?"

Jiraiya glanced over from where he was peering through a hole in the wall of the hot springs, and Naruto noticed that there was blood trickling down his face. "Huh? Oh, you. Have you not gotten it yet?"

"No!" Naruto shouted, frustration filling his voice. "I don't get it at all! You said it would be easy!"

"It _is_ easy..." Jiraiya said, frowning. "We already removed Orochimaru's seal, so there should be no issue with your chakra control."

"Yeah, I already got water walking down!"

The Sanin paused for a moment. "Hmm...this is so pointless. If Kakashi hadn't asked me personally..."

"Well it's not like I want you to train me anyway!" Naruto shouted. "I'd much rather have Kakashi-sensei teach me! How come Sasuke gets to train with him and I don't?"

"Because Kakashi's style is much more suited to Sasuke's," Jiraiya said calmly. "He uses multiple techniques focusing on speed, variety, and preserving energy as well as possible. You, however, like me, have a lot of chakra to spare. So he sent you to me."

Naruto stuck his lower lip out. "That's it?"

"No," Jiraiya admitted, "It's not. Kakashi told me that he doesn't consider himself a good enough teacher to train you for a match against someone like Garaa. For all his experience, he's still new to the whole sensei thing. I, on the other hand, have been teaching for years. If there's anyone who can show you something to get past Garaa's defenses, it's me." He shook his head. "But back to your problems. I can only think of one thing that could be causing problems like this..."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

_Atop a Rocky Mountain_

"You won't beat Lee like that."

Sasuke skidded to a half, panting heavily. His torso was bare, his shirt cut to ribbons long ago, and his entire body was covered with cuts in bruises. He was bleeding heavily, on the edge of collapsing, and yet he still kept going.

Kakashi sometimes wondered if his most gifted student was suicidal.

"Then..." Sasuke muttered, re-gripping his kunai, "I'll just have to try...harder!" He shot forward, but Kakashi anticipated his attack easily and sidestepped, delivering a powerful slam to the back of Sasuke's head.

Sasuke snarled and pushed himself to his feet.

"You're not always going to be able to defeat opponents through sheer determination," Kakashi said calmly. "Sometimes you'll have to plan ahead, to be sneaky."

"Or you could actually teach me something," Sasuke muttered. "You promised you would show me a powerful technique. The technique that killed Zabuza."

Kakashi titled his head. "It wouldn't work against Lee. He's too fast, too technically proficient. If you were fighting Garaa I could see myself teaching you that move, but if you're fighting Lee it's just wasted practice time."

"Fine." Sasuke growled. "Let's go again."

Kakashi raised a hand. "I'm not fighting you in your current state. Go home and get some rest. I'll think of something to teach you, maybe something that will make the difference in this fight."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

_At the Konoha Library_

Sakura had always liked libraries. They were quiet, peaceful, and smelled of old scrolls and knowledge.

The pink haired kunoichi was currently seated at a table in the back of the library, piles of scrolls around her. Any normal person would've been overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information, but multitasking was something of a specialty for Sakura - how else could she be expected to do her hair, study, and think about Sasuke all in one day?

Of course, she didn't have to worry about her hair anymore. She ran her fingers absently through her new hairdo, still getting used to it. Her hair had been so long for so long that the new weight and feel of it was still surprising her. She had to admit she liked it though - not only did it take care of random strands finding their way into her face during battles, it looked much more mature than her long hair had.

But there was no time to obsess over her hair right now. There was work to be done. Sakura scratched complicated diagrams and equations into a large blue notebook, meticulously copying down everything she might need.

Kurenai had explained that 50% of genjutsu was rote memorization, and 50% was experimentation. Everyone saw the world differently - the best genjutsu artists knew their opponents before attacking, changing the world in very subtle ways to ensure their own victory. Memorizing chakra manipulation and common techniques were needed, but real expertise came from combining and adding onto things you learned to form something completely knew.

It was a blast. Genjutsu was just so useful - convince her parents that their house had suddenly changed color, or cast a genjutsu on a wall to make it look like there was a door. But it wasn't all about pranks. A subtle genjutsu in combat; say, making a root look like it was five feet to the right, could send an opponent sprawling.

But it wasn't genjutsu that was occupying Sakura's attention right now. She finished her sketch and checked the scroll to make sure she had everything down. A quick number crunch confirmed that according to every law of physics, the kunai should still fly correctly. She grinned. Kiba wasn't going to know what hit him.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

_The Hokage's Office_

"To round it off...I'm almost afraid to ask, but what do you think about Team Seven's changing dynamic?"

"To be honest? I just think they're warming up to each other," Koyaiba said. "They had this weird quasi triangle thing going on at first: Naruto loved Sakura, who hated him. Sakura loved Sasuke, who hated her. And Naruto and Sasuke hated each other. But ever since that mission you sent me on with them, Naruto and Sasuke started getting closer." He paused. "I don't know how. I don't know why, but for some reason they're becoming friends. Slowly - the first step was a mutual respect without all that rivalry business getting in the way."

"So you think their rivalry was a bad thing?"

"Of course not," Koyaiba explained. "Rivalries are some of the best things that can happen to ninja. They inspire you to go higher. But Naruto and Sasuke didn't have anything but their rivalry, and it was preventing them from getting better."

The Hokage frowned. "I don't understand. I thought you said rivalries make people better."

"Yes," Koyaiba said. "But those rivalries have to be built off mutual respect. Naruto and Sasuke both hated each other too much to admit that the other one was worthy of their time. Therefore, training intensely, at least around each other, was...weak. It showed that they were scared. Which leads to a lot of wasted time." Koyaiba rubbed his eyes. "But now that they respect each other, they can admit that they need to get better in order to beat their respective rival."

The Hokage still looked slightly confused.

"Look at Neji and Lee's rivalry," Koyaiba said after a moment. "It drove Lee to become a better ninja, because he respected Neji's strength and wanted to match it. But Neji had no respect for Lee, because he saw him as weak. So he got nothing out of the rivalry. Both Naruto and Sasuke were like Neji before, but now they've both become like Lee."

"Ah," the Hokage said. "I think I see. Thank you Koyaiba, this has been...quite enlightening. I have much to think about. You are dismissed."

Koyaiba stood and bowed. "Thank you for your time Hokage."

"It was no trouble," the Hokage said. "But wait! I have something for you," he said, reaching into his desk. He pulled out a white envelope and handed it to Koyaiba. "Here. Your paycheck. I had to modify it - you're getting bonus wages for this mission passed off as extra pay for becoming my newest guard."

"Awesome," Koyaiba said, grinning. He opened the money and checked inside, flipping through the notes. "Hey wait a minute...there's barely anything in here!"

The Hokage smiled. "Ah yes. You see, part of your pay was transfered to pay the hospital bills of a certain genin you ran into during the chunin exams. And uh, we had to pay for a new scoreboard.

Koyaiba smacked his forehead.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

**AN:** Yay, new chapter! Bit of a wait, but a long one to make up for it. Not much action either, but hopefully I gave a good showing of the characters we haven't been spending time with. I'm happy, but tired. Writing from so many perspectives isn't easy. I just hope I didn't make things too confusing...

As always, thanks to my readers and reviewers! And I've recently received news that this is on the TV Tropes rec page, which is incredible. Thank you guys for your support!


	23. Premonitions

Koyaiba woke up on the first day of the third round with a strong sense of foreboding. This was nothing unusual, so he got up, splashed his face with water, and went downstairs for breakfast.

Minori was, as usual, asleep at the table, several books spread out around her. Koyaiba patted her head as he grabbed some cereal and a soda, sticking his spoon directly into the cereal box and eating it dry.

His Mom and Dad still weren't back yet, though they were due soon. Rika would be back in about a week, if everything went according to plan. But right now, Koyaiba was thinking about work.

He had been assigned to the Hokage's box today, which was a big honor, especially for someone as young as him. In reality it meant nothing, as the ANBU were really the ones protecting the Hokage, but it showed that the village council had faith in him if it was trusting him to sit in a box with the Hokage and Kazekage.

Koyaiba was meh about the whole thing. He would've preferred sitting with his friends - the chunin section would be going wild - but the Kage's box did have the best seats. And he might be able to pick up a few good betting tips.

"Koyaiba?" Minori asked sleepily from behind him. "What time izzit?"

Koyaiba checked the clock on the stove. "Seven thirty. Good morning Minori."

"G'morning," Minori muttered, fishing around the pantry for some instant coffee. "Got any plans for the exam?"

"I'm working the Kage's box," Koyaiba said, taking a large gulp of soda.

"Heh. Have fun with those geezers," Minori said. "I heard the Kazekage's a huge hard ass. Try not to be an idiot, right?"

"Don't worry," Koyaiba said, finishing his breakfast. "I got this."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Thirty minutes later, Koyaiba stood in the Kage's box. The Hokage was exchanging low greetings with the Kazekage, and though on the surface they seemed friendly, Koyaiba couldn't help but get the vibe their was some tension between the two leaders.

But maybe he was just imagining it.

"Kazekage-dono, this is my personal guard, Kohinata Koyaiba," the Hokage said. Koyaiba bowed deeply. "He is out most recent chunin and shows much potential.

The Kazekage nodded politely. "Protecting the Hokage at such a young age? You must be flattered." He sat down and chuckled. "Of course, the animals are the Hokage's real friends, are they not?"

Koyaiba stiffened. Of course the Kazekage knew about ANBU...but it was still worrying. He pushed the thoughts out of his head. Being distracted wasn't going to help anything.

"These is my guards," the Kazekage said, motioning towards the two men beside him. "Dao and Tate." The two ninja bowed but said nothing. "Shall the matches begin soon?"

"Very soon," the Hokage said, smiling. "Our first match is quite interesting actually. The heir of the Hyuga clan is fighting."

The Kazekage inclined his head. "Yes, I had heard. Though I hear she is not as...exciting as her older cousin."

Koyaiba lost track of the conversation as he stared down into the arena. All of the genin except Sasuke were there, receiving instructions from Genma.

Koyaiba grimaced. Another reason to be worried. Somebody had killed Hayate in between the second and first exams - the Hokage suspected that the jounin had been eliminated by Orochimaru. ANBU were out scouting the village, so the snake sanin's movements should be restricted, but Koyaiba doubted even a team of ANBU could do much more than slow Orochimaru down.

Well, that's what they had the Hokage for. And Jiraiya was back in town. Even Orochimaru would think twice before attacking the village while it had two Kages and a fellow sanin within it's borders.

Koyaiba pulled himself back to reality as the genin began leaving the arena. Naruto sprinted up the wall, his feet glowing with chakra, but he was beaten to the balcony by Lee, who had taken the stairs. The rest of the genin filed out at a slower pace, and Koyaiba was sure he saw Neji shoot Hinata a glare as he stalked off.

"Alright, are both contestants ready?" Genma asked. The microphone clipped to his jacket projected his voice around the stadium.

"Yeah, sure," Shikamaru said. Like Genma, he and Hinata were wearing microphones - it provided the audience with a much more "up close and personal" kind of feel to the matches. Hinata nodded her agreement, but did not speak.

Genma nodded. "Then let the third round of the chunin exams...begin!"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Hinata knew she had to end this fast.

If she didn't close the distance, Shikamaru was just going to hit her with his shadow copy jutsu, and then she'd be done for. So she decided not to let that happen, and instead charged the Nara. She had seen him spar before - he wasn't that quick, and his taijutsu was sloppy.

To her surprise though, he dodged around her strike with graceful ease, hands never leaving his pockets. "How come I've always got to fight girls?" He asked, leaping back and bringing his hands together.

Hinata, thrown off balance by Shikamaru's sudden increase in speed, reached into her pouch and pulled out a smoke bomb. _Calm down. Remember the plan._

The smoke bomb went off, and though this covered the area around her in shadow, Shikamaru didn't know where to direct his jutsu. Smoke was no issue for someone who cloud see through walls however, and though her eyes were stinging like crazy, Hinata found Shikamaru and struck.

Moments before her palm connected she realized something was off and pulled back. Sure enough, Shikamaru had wrapped his shadow 360° around himself - if Hinata had tried to hit him, her hand's shadow would've passed through his own, and she would've been caught.

She leapt back, and Shikamaru, who had freed himself from the smoke, sent his shadow chasing after her. This is what she had to do - force him to extend his shadow so she could dart in and finish him. Thanks to the Byakugan she wouldn't be caught unaware, so as long as she kept track of where his shadow was.

As she dodged around the shadow however, she realized that this wasn't going to work. Shikamaru was simply too quick, and there was no way she was going to be able to dodge past it and hit him. She needed to regroup and come up with a new plan.

So she took out two kunai, explosive notes already tied to them, and hurled them at Shikamaru.

The notes exploded, and Shikamaru was thrown back, rolling to his feet and skidding to a stop. Hinata pulled out more explosive kunai but didn't throw them - and Shikamaru settled back into a kneeling position, his hands coming together in an odd, cup like shape.

Hinata took the time to try to figure out what she was going to do. Right now they were locked into a stalemate - if Shikamaru moved then she would throw the kunai, and if she moved he would send his shadow at her. Right now she was outside it's range, but she wasn't sure what to do.

She didn't have to wait long. Shikamaru decided for her.

He pulled maybe half a dozen shuriken, along with two or three kunai, out of his pouch and threw them. Hinata watched his shadow with careful eyes - just as she suspected, he was using the weapons as jumping points for his shadow. She narrowed her eyes. Even with the boosts, it wouldn't be enough. His shadow would never reach her. So why...

And then the third kunai buried itself in the ground beside her and exploded.

Hinata was thrown across the dirt, and Shikamaru leapt into action. While she was disorientated, the explosive kunai out of her grip, he dashed up to her and caught her.

Hinata gasped. He had been using his shadow as a distraction, while the real threat had been the kunai he had thrown. But it wasn't over yet. He still had to finish her, and since if he wanted to grab a weapon, she would grab one too. They mirrored each other - it wouldn't be easy for him to hurt her without hurting himself.

And then Shikamaru reached into a pouch on his left shoulder and pulled out a kunai.

Hinata felt her fingers scrabble uselessly at the corresponding spot on her body and sighed. She really should've expected this.

"A-hem," Genma said, not moving from his spot. "I suppose that's it the-"

"Wait," Shikamaru said suddenly, his voice booming around the stadium. "Is that it? Are we done?" He shrugged. "I surrender."

Everyone in the stadium stared.

"Wh...what?" Hinata asked.

Shikamaru released the jutsu. "I surrender. You win." He turned to go. "Nice match. Gook luck in the next round."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Father wasn't happy.

Hanabi squirmed uncomfortably next to him, wishing he would _say_ something. But he just sat there, staring at her sister.

Hinata had won, but not in the way he had wanted. The Nara boy had beaten her, and then given up...he had had Hinata at his mercy and let her go. The ultimate insult.

As Hinata exited the arena, she looked up at father, as if she could feel his stare. Her face seemed to say: _What should I have done? I am sorry. What should I have done?_

Hanabi known what she should've done, or at least what father would've wanted her to do. Win. And failing that, not accepted the forfeit. She should've fought Shikamaru until either she triumphed or he was forced to subdue her.

Hanabi glanced fearfully up at her father. It was best not to say anything when he got like this, but she wasn't sure she could take this silent intensity for much longer.

Finally, he spoke. "A public display of weakness..." he said, his eyes not moving from the center of the arena. "Everything I've done up to now..."

Hanabi did her best to hold back the tears.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Certainly a...surprising match," the Kazekage said, his voice practically dripping with sarcasm. "That was the Hyuga heir, I believe you said?"

The Hokage coughed. "Er, yes. Quite a performance, don't you agree?"

"Oh yes," the Kazekage said. "I'm glad to see one of Konoha's most valued bloodlines is in such good hands." Koyaiba winced. If the Kazekage kept talking they were going to need a mop.

The Hokage, however, was as implacable as always. "The Hyuga clan is strong. They will fight to protect one of their own, no matter what."

"Fair enough," the Kazekage said. "I wouldn't call that a spectacular match by any stretch of the imagination... but it got me interested. The next match is my daughter, I believe. And another Hyuga. How delightful."

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

AN: Urgh. I really didn't like this chapter. Shikamaru's a cool character, but his fights are so difficult. And the section with Hanabi seems awkward. Oh well. At least Orochimaru-as-the-Kazekage is fun.

A big thanks to everyone who reads and reviews!


	24. Those Eyes

Neji had woken up knowing today was the day.

Fate was like that. If you looked hard enough, you could see past it all, and right into the heart of what was happening around you. It took some years, or even lifetimes, to master this skill, and it was twice as hard to understand it.

But to Neji, it came naturally.

"Father," he said softly as he walked into the arena. "Today is the day I make you proud."

The crowd roared as he stepped onto the sand, the stadium literally shaking around him. He was, after all, the most skilled genin in the leaf, and his opponent was none other than the Kazekage's daughter. The crowd had good reason to be excited.

Temari was standing on the opposite side of the arena, watching him carefully. Neji looked at her eyes - it was always the eyes that told the most about someone.

Temari's eyes were cold. Hard. Calculating. Neji couldn't imagine why. Those were the eyes of someone who had suffered, and surely this princess hadn't, sitting up in her golden tower as her father lorded over the Sand.

But she was supposed to be good. A warrior. And while Neji had no respect for those who had inherited their title, he respected those who had earned their reputation. As the proctor for the exam handed him a small microphone built to clip onto his shirt, Neji gave Temari a short, almost invisible nod.

Temari returned the favor.

And then the match started.

Temari leapt backwards, opening her fan and attacking in one smooth movement. Neji's Byakugan was active, and he ducked behind the small tree as the wind raged around him.

Now that her fan was out, Neji was able to get a good look at it. It was saturated with her chakra - in fact, he could even see small chakra points over the paper part of the fan. Apparently it had been crafted to mimic the human chakra system. The moons on the fan held large amounts of stored chakra as well, which were connected to the chakra points with microscopic tubes.

Ingenious. So the fan wasn't just a focus for her jutsu - it was an amplifier. No wonder she carried it around with her when it would've been much more convenient to channel the wind jutsu through her hands.

Temari attacked again, the wind gouging deep marks into the tree Neji was hiding behind.

Neji focused his Byakugan. Temari was standing a good distance away, her fan in a defensive position. "You can't sit there all day!" She shouted, whirling her fan again.

More wind. Neji chuckled, the microphone making it sound odd and distorted. "I don't need to." He stepped out from behind cover and assumed a crouching stance. "I am not of the Main Hyuga family, bound by rules and traditions. Nor am I my cousin. Simple elemental techniques do not elude me," Neji said flatly. "To put it short...I am not as painfully limited as my cousin was."

He brought his hands together in rapid succession. "Earth Release: Focused Stone Wave Jutsu!" He slammed his foot into the ground and the earth below him rose and fell as if it were a ribbon fluttering in the wind instead of a chunk of dirt and rock. The attack, too fast for Temari to dodge, threw the sand genin off her feet and into the air.

Neji was there in moments, trying to finish the fight with a series of rapid fire gentle fist attacks, but Temari whipped her fan in front of her and blocked his attacks with the sturdy metal. he recoiled, hissing in pain, and she landed like a cat, leaping back and trying to put distance between them.

It worked. Neji, still too distracted by his hands, was left wide open for another gust of wind. His hands formed seals furiously, but it was too late - Temari's attack hit him full force, and he was flung backwards, rolling up to his feet and skidding to a halt.

Temari attacked again, but this time Neji was prepared. With a few hand seals and a quick slapping of his palm to the ground below him, Neji summoned cover. "Earth Release: Rising Wall Jutsu!"

The earth rose up in front of him, forming a strong barrier that stopped the wind from causing any damage. More wind came, but Neji simply waited for the pause between attacks and sent out three clones. One went over the top, as if for an ariel attack, another to the right, and a third to the left. He heard Temari curse, and wind suddenly blew past his left side - one clone down, but still two more.

"Kamaitachi!"

That was what Neji had been waiting for. It would take her a few seconds to swing her fan and then get back in position - enough time for him to act.

He leapt up over the rock, flanked by two more clones. Temari stepped back, swinging her fan through the final clone of the first wave, and turned to the second. She swung her fan, and the resulting Gale ripped through the clone on the right - but Neji was in the air.

"Earth Release: Focused Stone Wave Jutsu!" He hit the ground, and the earth beneath him moved again. But Temari was learning his tricks, and she flipped herself into the air, dodging the attack. She landed, and another Kamaitachi ripped through the air - this time, Neji used the tree walking technique to anchor himself to the ground. That saved him from being thrown backwards, but he was still forced to waste precious time and energy shielding his eyes from the dust and gravel thrown up by the attack.

Another Kamaitachi. Neji was stuck in this position - not a comfortable one, as every attack brought new cuts and pains. The chakra saturated wind was cutting him to death one piece at a time.

Well, he would've had to use it sometime. He would've preferred to save it for a later round, but sometimes fate just wasn't on your side.

"Kamaitachi!" Temari shouted again. Neji saw the chakra flow through her arm, into and then out of the fan. The wind picked up again, but this time, instead of simply taking it, Neji began to spin his body like a top.

"Heavenly Spin!"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Impossible."

Hanabi looked up at Father, still afraid to speak after Hinata's loss. She shouldn't have worried. Father wasn't thinking about her right now. He only had eyes for Neji.

"Father?" Hanabi asked. "Isn't the Heavenly Spin a main family technique? Why can Neji-Niisan use it?"

Hiashi looked down at her, and for the first time in her life Hanabi saw an emotion in his eyes she had never seen before. It looked so alien on her Father's face that she had trouble placing it, but it was the same look on Hinata's face whenever she failed one of Father's tests. Still, the word wasn't coming. It was on the tip of her tongue.

"I fear, Hanabi..." Hiashi said slowly, "that I have made a very big mistake."

Ah yes. There it was.

Regret.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Koyaiba took a deep breath, leaning in towards the Hokage. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Neji not supposed to be able to do that?"

"It is curious," the Hokage said. "And quite intriguing. Hm. I suppose I should've expected it."

Koyaiba pulled back, shaking his head. Rhea had tried to teach herself the Heavenly Spin once. It hadn't ended well. And she was supposed to be a prodigy at least on the level of Neji...

_Well, obviously not._

The jutsu worked like it was supposed to, deflecting Temari's wind and startling the young kunoichi. Neji sprung forward and slammed his palm into Temari's right arm, a flash of clue chakra indicating that he had scored a dangerous hit.

Koyaiba snuck a glance at the Kazekage, who didn't seem unduly worried by his daughter's sudden disadvantage. _Maybe she's got an ace up her sleeve too? I wouldn't be surprised. Why couldn't my chunin exams ever be this entertaining..._

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Temari felt her arm go limp and numb and cursed out loud.

She stumbled back, doing her best to dodge Neji's next strike, but the Hyuga sprung forward and landed a glancing blow on her side. She was breathing heavily, and to top it off now every breath was sending a sharp pain up her side.

She was losing. _Dammit._

But she wasn't going to give this Neji guy the satisfaction of a clean win either. She wasn't some third rate fighter, a warmup for the more talented shinobi. She was the Kazekage's oldest kid!

She closed her fan and whipped it towards his legs with incredible speed. She had been training with fans life this since she was a child - it really wasn't that difficult to manipulate once you got the hang of it. The fan hit the side of his right knee and sent him sprawling, and seeing her chance, Temari swung it in a hammer blow at his head.

But with surprising speed and grit, Neji caught the fan, hooking her ankle with his foot and yanking in. Temari's eyes went wide with surprised even as she hit the ground back first - catching a giant metal fan with your bare hands? That hurt. It took balls, Kankuro would say.

And now Neji was above her, and his palm hit her chest in an area that would've been highly inappropriate had this been anything other than a fight. She wheezed, and a few flecks of blood sprayed from her open lips.

_Dammit._

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"And the winner is...Hyuga Neji!"

The crowd burst into applause, and Neji raised his head in victory. All around him, the crowd was going crazy - fights like that were what they had come to see. He had given the people what they wanted, and now they loved him. They were on their feet, screaming his name.

Huh.

He looked down at Temari, who, despite having taken a gentle fist strike to the lung not thirty seconds ago, was standing up. The girl was tough. Maybe she did deserve those eyes.

The applause died down, but Neji did not move. Instead, he waited for the arena to become completely silent.

"I look forward to meeting my esteemed cousin in the second round."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

AN: So, a bit of a wait. But eh, I liked this chapter. Hope you guys did too, and I'm really looking forward to continuing on with the exams.

Also, for anyone who started reading The Heart Is A Delicate Thing, I am planning to update. Real life is getting in the way, and I have a bigger commitment to this than to anything else, but a chapter will be up soon.


	25. Honed

"Hokage?" Koyaiba whispered, leaning in close to the old man so they wouldn't be overheard. "Sasuke isn't here yet."

The Hokage nodded slowly, rubbing his chin. "I see."

Koyaiba waited for an order, but a few moments later he still didn't have one. "Hokage, what do you want to do?"

The Hokage sighed. "As unfortunate as it is, if Sasuke has not shown up he must be disqualified. We can't show favoritism."

"With all due respect Hokage," Koyaiba said, "There are some very important people who came here just to see Sasuke fight. His disqualification would make some people angry."

"I can deal with the gamblers Koyaiba," the Hokage muttered. "I wouldn't worry about them." he turned to the Kazekage. "But it seems Kazekage-dono has something to say."

The Kazekage chuckled. "You know me too well. I apologize for eavesdropping, but once I head the name Sasuke I couldn't help myself."

"I see," the Hokage said, nodding.

"Yes," the Kazekage drawled. "You see, one of the reasons I made the trip was to see the boy...terrible buisness, with his brother, but those with childhood traumas often make the best ninja, wouldn't you agree?"

The Hokage frowned. "It would depend on what you meant by best."

The Kazekage inclined his head. "I would've thought it was obvious, dear Hokage-dono. But alas, it is a conversation for a different time. What I was meaning to say is that I would consider it a personal favor if you did postpone the boy's match. I'm quite excited to see it myself."

The Hokage rubbed his palms together. "How can I refuse a request from the Kazekage? Koyaiba, please inform Genma that the next match will be postponed."

"Of course, Hokage," Koyaiba said with a boy. He shunshined with a puff of smoke, and was almost immediately in the middle of the center of the arena.

"Kohinata," Genma said lazily, arching an eyebrow. He had turned his microphone off, and his voice was at normal volume. "Where's the Uchiha?"

"Not here," Koyaiba said.

Now Genma's eyebrows really rose, and he stopped chewing on the senbon in his mouth. "Don't tell me he's gonna be disqualified."

Koyaiba shook his head. "The Hokage wants the match postponed. The Kazekage himself requested it."

Genma nodded. "Well alright. But I got a bad feeling about this..."

Koyaiba grinned as he prepared to shunshin back to the Kage's box. "Oh thank God. I thought I was the only one."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"The next match, Rock Lee vs. Uchiha Sasuke, has been temporarily postponed. We will therefore continue with the next match, Inuzuka Kiba vs Haruno Sakura." Genma's voice rang around the stadium, and Shikamaru suddenly felt Ino clamp down on his arm.

"Where's Sasuke? Do you think he's ok?"

Shikamaru sighed and shook Ino's hand off him. "Calm down, I'm sure he's fine. Probably just overslept." He yawned. Besides, Sakura's up. Isn't she your friend?"

Ino sniffed. "Like I care if forehead girl wins or loses."

Shikamaru shrugged. "Suit yourself. I got ten yen on her and twenty on Kiba, so I make money either way."

"Ass. Is Chouji back from the concession stand yet?"

"Nope," Shikamaru said, yawning and leaning back in his chair. "I think I'm gonna take a nap."

"Don't you dare go to sleep on me!" Ino said, swatting Shikamaru's head. "And I still can't believe you quit in the first round."

Shikamaru shrugged. "I only came this far because if I make chunin I can get shuffled off to some cushy side job where you never have to do anything. Like academy teacher. And I think that my fight with Hinata was good enough to get that promotion, so I quit."

"And you don't have to fight Neji, is that right?"

"I'm not going to lie and say that him being my next opponent didn't factor into the thought process a little bit. But I was really worried about the sand girl winning. Can you imagine having to fight three girls?"

"Ass."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Are the two contestants ready?" Genma asked as Sakura adjusted her microphone.

"Yes," she said breathlessly. The adrenaline hadn't yet kicked in and right now she was just feeling nervous. She hadn't been ready yet, she still had a few minutes of pre match pump up ritual...where _was _Sasuke? Across the stadium Kiba grinned, letting Akamaru bark the affirmative.

"Hope you're ready to play rough," Kiba said, crouching low to the ground.

"Alright...begin!"

Kiba's hands met in a flurry of seals as Sakura leapt back, determined to putting distance between herself and the dog genin. Kiba's body twitched and jerked as his skeleton elongated, twisting into a more animalistic shape, and Akamaru began to grow, his own body changing to become a perfect match to Kiba's.

Sakura's hands flew into seals, and she felt chakra drain out of her, heading towards Kiba and Akamaru's minds. She felt it as it hit, almost like a tiny portion of her mind was submerged in a powerful river.

She reached out to that part of her mind and used it to shape the river around her. First thing she did was convince Kiba and Akamaru that she had used the hand seals to swap with a nearby log. They would be prepared to fight genjutsu, and seeing hand seals with no discernible affect was always a bad sign. It also had the added bonus of making them think she had switched position. Kiba started to charge off towards the place he thought she had switched, until Akamaru let out a high pitched yip.

Kiba pulled up short and sniffed the air before growling. "Good work buddy. I got this."

Sakura cursed as the river around the separated piece of her mind intensified. She had underestimated Akamaru's nose - of course the dog would be more used to using his nose than his eyes. She had been careless, and paid for it, as she desperately burrowed down and tried to wait out the storm of Kiba's consciousness.

She almost had it, but Akamaru, who had yet to begin fighting the genjutsu, lunged at her and broke her concentration. She felt her connection with Kiba snap, and backpedaled in an attempt to escape Akamaru's attack.

But Akamaru wasn't attacking anymore. The dog had stopped up short, fighting her, and now Kiba, one hundred percent Sakura free, was following up on the attack.

"Piercing Fang!"

Sakura threw herself out of the way of a now spiraling Kiba, managing to get out of the way before she was torn to shreds. She felt Akamaru break free and charge her, and gritting her teeth, she reached into her bag.

Two tiny balls - one purple, one red, were what she pulled out. She waited for a moment, and then hurled them at the ground below them, using her other arm to shield her eyes.

Purple and red smoke billowed up from the tiny balls, but only the purple was meant to obstruct vision. The red was actually more of a gas, that smelled. Not bad, but _a lot_, meaning it should take Kiba and Akamaru's nose out of the game.

Unfortunately, without being able to see them she couldn't cast a genjutsu on them. All genjutsu required a starter component, something to link you to that person - whether that was a specific sight or sound or even smell was up to the individual's genjutsu style.

Sakura smirked. While she couldn't cast a genjutsu on them specifically, she did have other options...

XXXXXXXXXXXX

_One Month Ago..._

"So now that you've got the basics of genjutsu down," Kurenai said, "you can begin moving on. How many types of genjutsu are there?"

"Two," Sakura answered immediately. "There are targeted genjutsu and area genjutsu."

"Exactly," Kurenai said, nodding in approval. "Targeted genjutsu are the most common and the most powerful. With a targeted genjutsu you hijack the target's chakra flow and manipulate how they perceive the world. You can even speak directly to the opponent, helping convince them the things they're seeing are actually real. A targeted genjutsu can cause the target to freeze up or even fall unconscious, making them incredibly dangerous, but you need a starter component in order to begin them. Non sight components are a bit out of your league for now, but if you want to continued lessons after the exam I won't hesitate to teach you."

Sakura nodded.

"Area genjutsu," Kurenai continued, "are genjutsu set not over a single person but the area around you. For example, if you cast a targeted genjutsu on me and convinced me that that wall was brown, only I would see the wall as brown. But if you set an area genjutsu on the wall itself, everyone would see the wall as brown. These genjutsu don't require a starter component, but are weaker for several reasons." Kurenai held up a finger. "One, these genjutsu are easier to spot. It's difficult to maintain a consistent illusion, so even if you made the wall brown via genjutsu I might see wavering patches of the color it was originally. Two," she said, holding up another finger. "You lose the ability to subtly convince the target that the illusion is real. Three, if the target happens to be looking at whatever you're changing, they can see it change and act according. Four, you can never force the target to freeze up or fall unconscious, as you are not manipulating the person's chakra flow." She paused as Sakura frantically scribbled down notes. "Got all that? Good, let's move onto commonly believed myths about genjutsu..."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

_Present Day_

Sakura brought her hands together, and with a simple effort of will reshaped a section of the stadium. Thanks to the smoke Kiba and Akamaru wouldn't be able to see it, so that risk was a non-factor. All she had to do was distract them long enough to sneak up on one and take them out - fighting one on one she was fairly sure she could take them.

The smoke cleared, and Sakura dashed towards the tree, where her genjutsu had been placed. Kiba and Akamaru bounded after her, and she guessed she had a few minutes before their noses started working property.

Sakura landed near the tree and ran around it, Kiba and Akamaru were in hot pursuit, but as Kiba rounded the tree he ran full force into the trunk, rebounding off it with a harsh shout of pain.

Akamaru pulled up short, but he was clothes lined by a tree branch that looked a lot higher than it actually was. Sakura lunged forward, trying to capitalize on Kiba's temporary disorientation and loss of partner, but the boy had a kunai out in a flash and blocked her strike like it was nothing.

_Well,_ Sakura thought, _damn. _

This is exactly what she hadn't wanted to happen. Kiba stepped forward and pressed the offensive, and she was struggling now to keep up. Akamaru had recovered from his earlier head injury and had joined the fray, and Sakura hissed in pain as Akamaru's nails ripped through the back of her shirt.

This was not a good position to be in. Against the two of them in such close quarters, Sakura would get shredded. She tried to weave around the next strike, but Kiba managed to get a long cut along her leg, and she stumbled back. Akamaru leapt forward, but Sakura caught him in the face with the sole of her foot before rolling back into a defensive position. Kiba came at her again, not giving her even a moment of rest, and she pressed her hands together. "Petal dance jutsu." Cherry blossoms began swirling around her, masking her shunshin as she dodged his next strike. But Kiba didn't even miss a beat, simply bent down so Akamaru could use him as a springboard to attack her from the air. Sakura blocked his punch and stepped back, her leg throbbing.

Kiba flashed forward faster than she could follow, and a moment later her stomach exploded in pain. She coughed and fell to her knees, only barely dodging Akamaru's pile driver blow. She pressed a hand to her stomach, desperate to stop the flow of blood, and stumbled back.

This was bad. If she was going to have even a chance at winning, she was going to have to us it now.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Kiba grinned as he felt Akamaru and him fall into the old, familiar rhythm. They had been partners so long that working together was like a second nature. It simply _happened_, like his breathing or blinking.

They had had some trouble with genjutsu at first but they had followed his Mom's advice - don't panic, identify the problem, work together to destroy it. Learn to move, to fight without needing your eyes. Learn to smell the chakra spikes that meant genjutsu.

Now they had hurt her. She was slowing down, and they were closing in. Blood soaked the ground, and none of it was theirs. She had confused them, hurt them, but she hadn't drawn blood yet. And now he and Akamaru were circling. A tiny nod alerted his partner that now was the time to finish this, and then Kiba was shooting forward.

But Sakura had a kunai in her hand now, a kunai with a red tag wrapped around it, and he smelled a surge of chakra. Usually that would mean genjutsu, but there were no hand signs to trap him, and nothing in the environment around her changed, so if it was a genjutsu it was a really crappy one. Maybe she had just discharged chakra in a panic. It happened sometimes, and most of the time people didn't even realize they had done it.

The kunai hurtled towards him, but he twisted around it with little difficulty. It flew only a few inches in front of his face, and it smelled funny, almost like chakra.

Then the kunai exploded, sending tiny chunks of shrapnel flying into Kiba's face.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Sakura felt bad about it. She hadn't meant to throw it at his face, she really hadn't. But she still wasn't exactly used to the weight of the kunai, and she had been panicking...

Akamaru hit her in the back like a freight train, and Sakura was given a very painful reminder that this fight wasn't quite over yet. Kiba was still rolling around in pain, and Sakura hoped that none of the shrapnel had hit his eyes - he should alright as long as that hadn't happened. She rolled around and shoved her hands directly into Akamaru's face (it was odd, seeing Akamaru look exactly like Kiba) and the dog immediately recoiled. Sakura used that chance to flash a few hand signs, and the dog froze - only for a brief moment, but that was all the time Sakura needed to chop his neck.

Akamaru slumped to the ground, shrinking and slowly growing fuzzier as he regained his normal shape. Sakura stood, albeit shakily, and immediately collapsed as a new wave of pan rolled over her.

"And the winner," she heard Genma shout to the crowd, "is Haruno Sakura!"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Koyaiba stared blankly at the arena below and turned to the Hokage. "Ok, I'm confused. What did Sakura _do_?"

The Hokage chuckled. "Proved that forethought and the right amount of dedication can overcome even a severe gap in natural talent. But to answer your question, I believe she stuck a high powered explosive note into a hollowed out kunai."

Koyaiba ran his hands across the top of his head. "I don't know about you, but I think I see Sakura having a future in weapon design."

The Hokage smiled. "Perhaps. So many things are possible, if one hones the mind."

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

AN: Sorry for the long wait - the site has been freaking out and not letting me update. But I found a way around that so It's all good. The next chapter is nearing completion, and will cover the beginning of the invasion, as well as any fights that may or may not happen. Enjoy!


	26. Invasion

"Are we going to continue to postpone Sasuke's match?" Koyaiba asked as medics dragged Sakura and Kiba out of the arena. "There's only one more match before the next round. We can delay for maybe a half hour after that but the crowds are going to get restless."

The Hokage turned to the Kazekage and incline his head. "Kazekage-dono, are you still so eager to see Uchiha Sasuke fight? We cannot delay his match much longer."

The Kazekage frowned and looked down towards where Garaa was waiting. Finally he narrowed his eyes and shook his head. "I suppose he simply isn't coming. Pity. I had expected more."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Uchiha Sasuke has failed to show up and therefore has been disqualified! Rock Lee automatically advances to the next round, and we will continue the exam with Uzumaki Naruto vs. Garaa!"

Kakashi grunted. "It's about time. I would've expected them to disqualify you long before this."

"I still can't believe you're doing this to me," Sasuke said coldly. The henge he was using had changed his distinctive features to show a mousy, brown haired girl, the kind of person nobody would look twice at. Changing his voice to match was simple, though embarrassing. "Even Sakura advanced to the second round. And I forfeited."

"I need you fresh," Kakashi said calmly. His own henge showed an old man, and his voice was appropriately wheezing and rough. "Orochimaru is going after you specifically for some reason or another, and you have to be able to move."

"So all that training was for nothing?"

"No, all that training was in case Orochimaru manages to somehow avoid all our traps and still get to to you. I know you don't like being bait, but man up. You're a ninja now."

Sasuke grunted. "I'd better get considered for chunin for this. And you'd better teach me that technique. You said you would."

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Quit whining, or I'm going to think you're actually a little girl."

"Shut up," Sasuke said, shaking his head. "You are never to mention this to anyone."

"Oh look, Naruto's up!" Kakashi said, pointing. The blond ninja was rubbing his hands together in anticipation for his match against Garaa. "I really hope he doesn't die."

"I wouldn't be too worried about Naruto," Sasuke said with a small grin. "I'm just hoping he doesn't hurt Garaa too badly."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"We will continue the exam with Uzumaki Naruto vs. Garaa!"

The Kazekage chuckled - a low, raspy cough that make Koyaiba squirm. "Now this," the Kazekage said, "is a match. An interesting, interesting match."

The Hokage looked slightly worried. "Kazekage-dono..."

"Now come, dear friend," the Kazekage said. "Don't tell me you aren't excited? My legacy against _his_?" My demon against yours?"

Koyaiba frowned and leaned in close to the Hokage's ear, his voice barely a whisper. "Hokage, what is he talking about?"

"Another time, Koyaiba. The match is starting."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto was pretty sure he knew how to beat Garaa. Jiraiya had explained it to him, and then Sasuke had given him a few pointers after the Uchiha revealed that he had a top secret A-rank mission and "wasn't going to get a chance to beat that asshole personally".

Basically, he would use Shadow Clones. A shit ton of Shadow Clones, constantly attacking, taking hits, and learning. Wave after wave of shadow clones, doing their best to capture tiny pieces of Garaa's sand and wear him down until he couldn't keep up the defensive anymore. If Garaa overwhelmed his makeshift army he could retreat and use summons or Shadow Clones to protect him while he demanded chakra from the kyuubi - even Garaa's defenses would have a hard time standing up to that kind of raw power.

"Are both contestants ready?" Hayate asked.

"Oh hell yeah!" Naruto said, grinning. "Bring it on!"

Garaa's eyes got even more murderous, and Naruto was pretty sure he could see the gourd on the sand genin's back shaking in anticipation.

Hey, he was excited in his own way. That was cool.

"Alright," Hayate said after a moment. "I'm gonna take that as a yes. Begin!"

Naruto brought his hands together. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Immediately he was surrounded by a dozen copies of himself, and they all charged Garaa simultaneously. Garaa didn't so much as twitch, but the sand in his gourd burst free and took out half of the Shadow Clones so quickly Naruto barely had time to register what was going on.

Suddenly he wasn't so sure he could beat Garaa anymore. But a little uncertainty had never stopped him before, and so a few hand seals later there were maybe 50 Narutos standing around the arena.

"Let's go!" They all shouted. Garaa hadn't actually moved yet, but his eyes were darting around in a vaguely panicked fashion. The clones converged, ramming against Garaa's sand wall with all their strength. They weren't able to get through, but the impact itself wasn't enough to pop them, so they were able to continue attacking. Garaa meanwhile had to devote all his sand to stopping the barrage - if he didn't there simply wouldn't be enough sand to stop all of the Narutos' attacks.

Finally Garaa brought his hands together, and the sand swirled into a cone around him, hardening until it was stronger than rock. Naruto recognized the technique from Shino's fight and immediately took cover, readying another Shadow Clone Jutsu.

The sand exploded outwards, taking out maybe half of the Narutos in a split second and wiping out half a dozen more before returning to defend Garaa from the remaining clones' strikes. But before Garaa could capitalize on the clear battlefield Naruto had replenished the lost clones, and they were back at square one.

Naruto could see that Garaa was getting impatient, but as the barrage continued the red haired boy was forced to sit back and play defensive. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, that left them at a stalemate. On the one hand, Naruto had a lot of stamina, and he was fully rested. He could keep this going longer than Garaa could.

On the other hand, Naruto really didn't want to wait for Garaa to get angry.

So Naruto didn't hand back - instead he joined the fray himself, throwing himself against Garaa's shield again and again. Garaa seemed to be getting worried, but for now his defenses were still holding strong.

Then the explosive notes came.

Naruto had found through training that the explosive notes copied by his shadow clones simply wouldn't work - surge of chakra required to activate them was apparently too much stress, and they went up in a puff of smoke before detonating. But what Naruto could do was spread out his real explosive notes, and throw them from all directions.

Garaa was thrown to the ground, but seemed to suffer no real damage. His sand shield was being scattered, but it was just as quickly returning to protect him - when the dust cleared, Garaa was still unhurt, if shaken. And Naruto was out of explosive notes.

Naruto ground his teeth. Only thing he could think of with enough power to break through the sand shield...

He summoned more shadow clones, and then called on the Kyuubi.

One instant, Naruto was in the middle of a bright, crowded arena. The crowd was cheering, the wind was blowing, the sun was beating down on his face, and Garaa's killing intent was hammering him.

The next, he was sitting alone inside a dark cage. There was no noise save his own breathing, and it _stank_, like something had died inside his nose. It was freezing, and Naruto stood only to be literally knocked off his feet by a sheer wave of killing intent.

The Kyuubi chuckled. **"Too much for you brat? I get distracted sometimes, and it seeps through."**

Naruto tried to keep a straight face. That had been the Fox's killing intent when he hadn't even realized Naruto was there. If the Fox was actively trying to kill him...well, best not to think about that.

"You know why I'm here," Naruto said, stubbornly getting back to his feet. The killing intent was still there, but he could fight it. "Gimme some power. So I can beat him."

The Kyuubi chuckled again. **"You don't even realize what he is, do you brat?"**

"Don't avoid the question! Are you going to give me some power or not?"

The Kyuubi sighed. **"Very well. But when your life is inevitably in danger because of this, I expect another visit." **Naruto knew the demon was only agreeing to his demand because letting his chakra through would weaken the seal, but he couldn't help a surge of pride.

Then Naruto was back in the arena. The sun, the wind, the crowd, and Garaa's nice, human sized killing intent. Naruto grinned, holding up his hands. They began glowing with a strange orange chakra, and his shadow began to swirl wildly, forming themselves into unnatural tails.

Garaa's eyes shot open.

Naruto charged.

He was _fast_. So much faster than normal. The Fox's power surged through him, invigorating him and allowing him to blow right past Garaa's sand shield and hit the crazy bastard full in the face.

Garaa was thrown across the arena, his sand hopelessly attempting to keep up. Naruto charged again, and Garaa was slowly, so slowly that he managed to hit the red haired genin in the stomach before he was even fully standing.

But instead of flying across the battlefield again, Garaa simply rocked back and forth with a smile on his face. Naruto pulled back, confused, until he saw the sand wrapping around Garaa's ankles and blending seamlessly with his skin.

"He anchored himself to the ground..." Naruto said, his voice oddly distorted by the Fox's chakra.

And then Garaa started laughing. And Naruto began to seriously freak out.

"Mother!" Garaa shouted, raising his hands to the sky. The sand around him began to flow into the air, twisting into bizarre shapes and sigils. "I've finally found someone who is worthy of you!" He laughed madly, and Naruto sprinted forward and hit him with a roundhouse kick to the face.

That shut him up.

Again Garaa was thrown backwards, and now he wasn't laughing. He roared, his voice bestial and inhuman, and charged Naruto, the sand gathering around his arm like some kind of claw.

Naruto intercepted the attack, and suddenly felt more of the Kyuubi's power surge through him, unbidden. He gripped Garaa's claw and threw the Genin over the wall of the arena.

And then all hell broke loose.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Koyaiba saw Garaa charge Naruto with a giant arm made of sand, and started to realize he had been right about today after all. The Hokage was glued to the action, his eyes wide, and he was actually crushing the armrest of the stone seat beneath him, probably without realizing it.

Then the Kazekage moved in a way that made Koyaiba very uncomfortable.

"Hokage! Move!" Koyaiba shouted, grabbing the old man by the back of his cloak and dragging him off the edge of the Kage's box, into the arena. The Hokage let out a shout of surprise as he tumbled through the air, and the Kage's box exploded in a cloud of smoke.

Koyaiba hit the ground and looked up to see Garaa flying through the air. Naruto collapsed into the dirt, screaming, and then all hell really broke loose. Feathers started drifting through the air, and Koyaiba saw the crowd begin to drop into sleep.

"It's the Temple of Nirvana!" Koyaiba shouted, bringing his hands together. "Release!" Chakra surged around him, freeing him of the genjutsu's effect.

Then the Hokage brought his hands together. "Release!"

There was an enormous burst of chakra that swept through the entire arena, leaving Koyaiba's ears ringing. The feathers were gone, and the crowd was awake again, screaming and panicking. Koyaiba grabbed for his weapon but found nothing - he glanced at the ground only to find two pieces of the broken rod. "So much for stronger than Always Sharp..."

And then something smashed into his jaw, which promptly exploded in pain, and he was thrown across the arena, rolling to his feet and skidding to a stop. He whipped out a sealing scroll and spit some blood onto it before summoning forth a straight bladed, double edge sword.

Orochimaru (where had he come from?) and the Hokage were duking it out in the middle of the arena. Koyaiba saw Naruto being dragged away by a frantic Kakashi. Garaa was nowhere to be seen, Sound and Sand ninja were swarming the arena, and Koyaiba could only suppose that similar chaos was erupting all over the village. The Kazekage's guards, Dao and Tate, were approaching him. Dao had two small shields on his wrist, and Tate was carrying two heavy knives.

Koyaiba gripped the hilt of his sword and pointed it at them. "Stay back, assholes."

The two chuckled to themselves and continued moving forward.

Koyaiba's eyes narrowed. His mother was an expert weapon user, as well as a Wind Release user like himself. She had taught him a few things that really only worked well with a katana or something similar, and though Koyaiba was out of practice he was sure he'd make do.

So as Dao and Tate stalked closer, Koyaiba threw the blade high into the air, bringing his hands together in a variety of seals. "Rat, tiger, boar, rat, boar, tiger, snake..." Koyaiba caught the blade above his head and brought it down towards the still out of range Dao. "Sky Elongating Blade Jutsu!"

Wind chakra solidified up and around his blade, lengthening it by a good twelve feet. Dao screamed as the wind blade caught him in the shoulder, and Koyaiba twisted his wrist - there was an explosion of blood, and suddenly Dao was missing a head.

The wind chakra faded, and Koyaiba turned on Tate. The sand bodyguard was looking considerably more shaken, but he didn't stop coming, instead breaking into a run before engaging Koyaiba.

Koyaiba blocked the first strike and ducked under the second, using their locked blades for support as he flipped over Tate's head and landed behind him. Tate whirled around, blocking Koyaiba's swing and slashing at the leaf chunin's face.

Koyaiba stepped back, but pressed forward immediately afterwards with a flurry of blows that had Tate sweating to keep up. The two ninja's clash continued for several minutes, each occasionally giving ground only to immediately gain it back. The fight was too fast paced and close ranged to use nin or genjutsu, and so the two were forced to stick to weapons, even as the invasion raged around them. Finally, Koyaiba kicked a cloud of dirt into Tate's eyes, and the Sand ninja stumbled. Seeing an opportunity, Koyaiba's sword darted past Tate's guard and sunk into his ribcage.

Tate screamed, but he was hurt and slowing. Koyaiba stepped in and twirled his blade with near-expert precision, lopping off Tate's right arm at the elbow. There was a clang as the knife hit the ground, and Koyaiba took another step forward before reversing his grip on the sword's handle and shoving it into Tate's forehead, twisting it to make sure nothing was spared.

It was the Kohinata family motto - _Go for the eyes. Failing that, the head will do. _While not a regal, awe inspiring motto, it was simple and helpful, something his family had agreed represented them very well. Tate collapsed to the ground and Koyaiba gave the sword a good yank, pulling it from the Sand ninja's skull before sealing it back into his scroll. The arena was mostly deserted now, as the leaf ninja had pushed the fight away from the civilians and towards the more abandoned sections of town. Koyaiba picked up Tate's hunting knives, shrugging and strapping them to the side of his legs. They might come in handy later.

Now that he had had a chance to catch his breath, he summoned a mid sized kama from the scroll. There was a long chain attached to the end, and Koyaiba twirled it once or twice before nodding in a satisfied way.

He shunshined to the top of the arena and looked out over the village. The fight between Orochimaru and the Hokage was still raging, but they had moved far enough away from the arena so that all Koyaiba could see was flashing lights and the occasional explosion. Several smaller fights had erupted throughout the village, causing significant property damage and serving to sow more chaos through Konoha's ranks. He could just barely see a tiny line of civilians filing into the safe rooms carved into the Hokage Mountain, and thanked God that at least some people were getting out of the crossfire.

Koyaiba shook his head and leapt from the top of the arena, landing safely on the rooftop, looking for anything nearby he could help with. It was going to be a rough day.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

As soon as the Kage's box went up in smoke, Kakashi knew they were screwed.

He leapt out of the stands, dropping his genjutsu and landing in the arena. The Hokage and Kohinata were already there, and Naruto was on the ground, obviously in pain. A genjutsu was quickly set over the entire arena, but Kakashi hadn't even started to counter it before the Hokage ripped it away with a supercharged Release.

Then the Kazekage revealed himself to secretly be Orochimaru, and he and the third started battling. Kohinata was busy dealing with with the "Kazekage's" guards, and so Kakashi scooped up Naruto in his arms and ran up the side of the arena until he was at the top. Sasuke was at his side immediately, Sharingan active.

Kakashi spied the genin puppet user, Kankuro, pick up his injured younger brother and haul ass away from the arena. The kid was fast, and after a moment his sister joined him - apparently she had already recovered from her fight with Neji.

"What's the plan?" Sasuke asked. He was staring at the Hokage and Orochimaru as they traded jutsu faster than any normal eye could follow, up until they disappeared over the far wall of the arena.

"Plan A is a bust," Kakashi said, laying Naruto down. The boy was beginning to squirm, and he seemed to have no injuries. "Apparently you aren't as important to Orochimaru as we thought. He's after the Third, not you."

"So what do we do?"

"I stay here and protect the village," Kakashi said, pulling up his headband to reveal his Sharingan. The world swirled in different patterns and colors, but Kakashi was used to it. "You and Naruto track down Garaa and make sure he stays out of the fight."

"Sasuke nodded, but glanced down at Naruto. "He doesn't look so good."

"I'm fine..." Naruto said, struggling to his feet. "Shoulda listened to the damn Fox..."

"I'm not going to ask you what the hell possessed you to use that thing," Kakashi said, frowning, "but I expect an explanation when this is over. Move."

Sasuke nodded, and he and Naruto were gone. Kakashi shook his head and vanished in a puff of smoke. He reappeared on the roof of the Kage's box, where a group of chunin were fighting some of Orochimaru's men. They had thick purple rope wrapped around their waists, and their skin was covered in strange markings.

Cursed seals.

In a moment, Kakashi was in the action, grabbing the nearest of Orochimaru's men - a woman, ironically, with red hair and zig-zagged markings up and down her body. A quick nerve pinch rendered her unconscious, and Kakashi was gone again. Removing the girl from the battle would give the Leaf chunin a four-to-three advantage, something that would have to be enough - another subject with a working cursed seal could bring Kumotora that much closer to a breakthrough. All he needed was somewhere to store the girl where she wouldn't cause too much trouble...

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Sakura awoke to screams.

She was sitting up in a moment, her head pounding and her body aching. A shirtless boy stood with his back to her, but Sakura knew it was Kiba from how Akamaru was perched on his head, growling in a way that would've been threatening if it wasn't so cute. "Kiba?"

Kiba turned towards her, and Sakura gasped. The dog ninja's face was had several scars - there was a circular scar on his right cheek which branched off into a long scar that continued over his nose until it reached his left eye. Another one curved around his right eye, and a final one crossed over his lips before ending at his chin. "Oh my God, _Kiba_."

Kiba laughed. "It's badass, isn't it?" He said, fingers idly tracing the scars. "My first battle scars."

Sakura stared, having a difficult time understanding what she was hearing. "You're not upset?" She asked finally.

Kiba laughed again, grabbing his trademark sweatshirt and pulling it on. Sakura noticed that one of his hands held a bloody kunai, and there was the distinctive smell of blood somewhere outside the room. "Are you kidding?" He said, zipping up his sweatshirt. "This is like, a milestone for Inuzuka. The medical staff could've healed them...mostly, but my mom came in and threatened to shove rather large things up their asses if they did. It's a rite of passage."

"That's...good, then," Sakura said. She glanced down and noticed she was dressed in a hospital gown. "What's happening?"

"All hell's breaking loose, that's what's happening," Kiba said with a grimace. He tossed Sakura her red dress, and she ducked behind a screen before changing into it. Her torso was wrapped in bandages, but she didn't feel any pain - either she was healed or so drugged up she couldn't feel anything. "I don't know much, but one of the medics said that Sand and Sound turned on us. They ran out and told me to stay here and watch you, but we're sitting ducks in this damn infirmary." He held out a hand. "You ready?"

Sakura strapped her weapons pouch onto her leg and nodded. "Yeah. Let's go."

They left the infirmary carefully, Kiba and Akamaru sniffing the air. "There's a group of three coming towards us," Kiba said in a hushed whisper. "They don't smell like Konoha." Sakura nodded, and they both jumped to the rooftops, watching the street carefully. A moment later, three Sand ninja turned the corner, all crouching low and carrying kunai. Sakura began to ready a genjutsu, but she needn't have bothered.

A black blur flew through the air, hitting one of the Sand ninja and throwing him into the wall. There was a wet "schlunk" and the man slumped to the ground, a wooden stake in his heart. The other two ninja whirled on their attacked, but one was riddled with holes before he could make a move.

The other was luckier - while the black figure was occupied taking out his teammates, he was able to stab a kunai through the chest of his attacker. The black figure crumpled, but did manage to cut the Sand ninja's throat before falling still.

Sakura and Kiba hit the ground, rushing over to the black figure. Kiba turned him over to reveal a cat-like ANBU mask with red markings. "Are you alive?"

"Barely," the ANBU said, grunting. "I was careless. That last one got me good." He looked down at his bleeding chest. "I know some medical jutsu, but not enough to fix this."

"There's an infirmary right back there," Sakura said, pointing to where they had just come from. "We can find some supplies and maybe patch -" she was interrupted by a loud explosion, and turned to see smoke rising from the spot the infirmary was supposed to be. "- you up..."

"Or not..." Kiba said. "Sakura, do you have any emergency medical seals on you?"

Sakura shook her head. "I didn't think I'd need any, and I needed extra space for the smoke bombs."

Kiba nodded, grimacing. "I don't have any either." He turned back to the ANBU. "You?"

"I lost all mine in an explosion."

"Can you move?" Sakura asked. She didn't know much about medicine, but she was at least aware enough to know that moving him in this state could potentially kill him.

"With some help," the ANBU said. He coughed as Sakura and Kiba helped him stand. "Just drop me off in a quiet alley somewhere. We need you guys fighting."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

As soon as the Hokage released the genjutsu, Lee had discarded his weights and was wrecking havoc throughout the Sound ninja's ranks.

He was upset about not getting to fight Sasuke, yes. But what had worried him more was that if Sasuke forfeited, he would be forced to fight Sakura. Unless he or she got the randomly chosen bye for the next round, though honestly Lee hadn't really remembered that in his panic. He was a very 'live for the moment kind of guy'.

But then the Sand and the Sound broke the peace and invaded, and he didn't have to worry about that particular problem anymore. Since Konoha had no structured battle plan, things were quickly splitting up into individual fights, or scuffles between small groups. Lee saw Tenten take out a Sound ninja that was getting too close, and Neji began running along the side of the arena, apparently chasing after someone.

Of course, Lee didn't exactly have time to worry about what his teammates were doing. More ninja were coming at him, and Gai was yelling at him to get away from the arena before a stray jutsu killed him. So Lee happily obliged, bounding through the wall of the arena and onto a nearby rooftop. The Sound ninja followed him, and Lee was forced to block several rapid fire punches before he could get in a good shot. The Sound ninja was thrown aside but got back to his feet a moment later, his hands coming together for a variety of complex seals.

Lee's mind suddenly flashed back to Gai's first lesson - _ninjutsu's major weakness is that it requires fingers._ And so he shot forward and broke the man's hands with a single kcik.

The Sound ninja recoiled, screaming, and Lee leaped into the air, coming nearly horizontal before hitting the Sound ninja with a spinning kick. There was another scream - though this one was more muffled due to the fact that his jaw was currently in two pieces.

Lee left him there to fend for himself, instead watching Tenten follow him down from the arena. A summoning scroll was draped over her shoulders and wound around both arms, and a liberal amount of blood was splattered across her face. Lee was worried for a moment, but she didn't seem to be injured, which was a good sign. "Lee. Are you alright?" She asked as she landed beside him.

Lee nodded curtly, his usually cheery demeanor replaced by a cool, calm one. Invasions were no time to make jokes about youth, or anything else springtime related. "I'm fine. Is any of that blood yours?"

Tenten took a moment to answer, obviously unsettled by a serious Lee. "A little bit. I'll live." She looked around the village and cursed. "This is worse than Waterfall."

"Much worse. We need to help," Lee said. Tenten nodded and summoned several shuriken from her scroll, tucking them into various pouches around her body. She turned to Lee and gave him a thumbs up.

"Got my back?" She asked.

Lee smiled slightly. "Always."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Neji saw Temari dash out of the arena and was immediately on her tail.

He dropped down the inner arena wall, feet flowing with blue chakra, and stuck to the vertical stone. Chaos was raging around him, and Neji was able to see it all with his Byakugan. The Sand and the Sound were attacking, overwhelming the startled Konoha ninja, but a valiant fight was being put up against the invaders.

Neji didn't care. She wasn't going to get away. Not if he had anything to say about it.

The tournament had been a scam. A cover up for the invasion. She was Sand. She had known. Had she been holding back? It would make sense. Save your chakra for the invasion. Don't go all out against your opponent. Don't drain yourself. Had she thrown the match? Was she that much better than him, that she could throw the match without him even noticing? Impossible.

Wasn't it?

She was helping her brother, the red haired one, get away. Into the forest. She couldn't shake him, not as long as he had these eyes. She couldn't run, or hide. The fight was for real now. There would be no holding back. Him against her, for better or worse.

He could see the Uchiha boy and Uzumaki (trailed slightly by the Nara boy who had all but defeated his worthless cousin) running parallel to himself, apparently chasing the same target. He made no move to join them. Eventually they would meet - but as long as they didn't interfere, there would be no problem.

Something, a flicker of light, caught his attention. His focus shifted to the right and up, just in time to see a Sound ninja diving towards him, a blade clutched in each hands.

Neji's eyes widened. He had been too focused on the Sand girl. He hadn't even noticed the Sound ninja, and now he was in the air. No base for the heavenly spin, no way to change direction. No way to stop both the blades...

And then Hinata flew through the air, hitting the sound ninja in the back with a heavy thud. The Sound ninja let out a startled cry, but both the blades fell from his hands. He hit Neji anyway, sending all three of them tumbling to the ground in a heap.

Neji was ready. He found the enemy ninja's heart and finished him with a single gentle fist strike. Then he turned to Hinata. Hinata, from the main house. The Princess. The one he had been planning on publicly ripping to shreds, proving to the Main Family that he wasn't going to take their abuse anymore. No, not planning on - dreaming of.

She had saved his life.

"Why?" He asked, his voice rough.

She looked confused. "We are family. We protect each other."

_No we don't, _Neji thought to himself. _We do nothing but cause each other pain. _So he simply shook his head, and found Temari, and continued his pursuit, leaving a trembling Hinata on a lonely rooftop.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Shino knew that the invasion was going to be disastrous for Konoha unless a miracle happened.

His clan had taught him that keeping a level head at all times was key to mission success, and he had taken that to heart. So he watched, occasionally, sending his bugs out on recon, and ran numbers.

Konoha's odds were not looking good.

"I have a fix on one of the seals," Shino's cousin said from his left. She was sitting, cross legged and frowning as she exercised a deeper, more individualistic control over her Hive. "They're extremely complex, but they're not just for summoning. They have outer and inner seals - the outer seals are a security precaution. Any foreign chakra that goes through the outer seals is fried."

"That's what happened to our first wave of scouts," Shino's father said matter of factly. "I should have known better than to attack the seals directly. Orochimaru knows the Leaf too well to leave such a valuable asset open for attack like that."

"I'll work to find a way around the seals," Shino said calmly, directing his Hive to where the summoning seals were. "If we can breach the outer seals and disrupt the inner one, Orochimaru's forces will suffer a serious blow."

"Agreed," Shino's dad said. He paused for a moment, hands twitching - a telltale sign that something bad was happening to his Hive. He began breathing heavily, and grabbed Shino's shoulder. "Change of plans. I need you out there."

"What? Why?"

"Some Sound Ninja have stumbled through our genjutsu and seal defenses. They are currently in the hatchery." Shino paled. "They destroyed my guards, and I can't afford to divert any of my remaining Hive. You have to go."

Shino swallowed and nodded. "Understood." He was gone a second later, appearing in a puff of smoke on a rooftop across from them. The entrance to the Hatchery was back at the Aburame compound - it would take time to get there, time he didn't have. So Shino was forced to abandon all thoughts of subtlety, tearing across the battlefield and praying to whatever god there was that a random shuriken didn't catch him through the head.

When Shino reached the gates to the Hatchery, he could barely believe it. The powerful seals that had once guarded the only entrance had been totally destroyed, but a faint aura still lingered around it - Shino could feel his Hive growing more energetic as he approached the place of their birth. He descended into the Hatchery, his skin practically buzzing.

Then the screams started.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The arena exploded into chaos, and Shikamaru was gone.

Ino grabbed Chouji's arm and hauled him backwards, away from a stray Fire release jutsu that pulverized the seats they been sitting in just moments before. Something was wrong, and they were right in the middle of it.

"Ino!" Chouji shouted, pulling her closer to him as the battle raged on around them. Ino felt genjutsu tug at her thoughts, and her eyes grew heavy - and suddenly the feeling was washed away, as if it had never been there at all. "Where's Shikamaru?" Chouji said from behind her.

Ino drew a kunai from her weapons pouch - if growing up in a ninja clan taught you one thing, it was always come prepared. "I don't know," she said, following Chouji to the bathroom. It would give them a chance to regroup and figure out what to do. "He dashed off only a second after the trouble started. Something about somebody going to need him anyway."

Chouji shook his head and stuffed one last handful of chips into his mouth. "He's doing what he thinks is best. But would it kill him to give us a warning?"

And then they dashed out into the fray.

The stands of the arena was too small a battlefield for Chouji to use his clan's signature jutsu, so the two were stuck with basic taijutsu. But they didn't bother engaging enemies directly - it was easier than easy to sit back and wait for a turned back. A few quick shuriken disrupted the enemy enough that the Leaf ninja they were fighting could finish them off.

"These Sound ninja are pathetic!" Ino shouted as one of the masked ninja charged her. She dodged around the strike and hit him in the jaw with a right hook, sending him stumbling back. Hayate was waiting there, and after impaling him with a short blade, nodded politely.

"I've noticed that too," Chouji said. He and Ino pressed their backs up against each other, circling slowly to make sure no enemies could get near them. "The way they move and fight...it's all wrong. I don't think they're ninja at all."

"No way," Ino said, struggling to catch her breath. "Not unless..."

"Probably," Chouji said, and again Ino was taken back at his ability to practically read her mind. "I think they're just peasants and farmers who've been taught basic chakra manipulation, given a few weapons, and told to fight for their lives."

"There have to be real ninja somewhere!" Ino protested. "What about those genin in the exam?"

"I know they exist," Chouji said, "but I don't know where they are. It's worrying. They're probably handling the summons and other stuff," he said, pointing to a huge snake that was currently destroying huge sections of Konoha unopposed.

Ino tsked. "We've got to get out of here," she said, grabbing Chouji's hand. "You can't use your techniques and I need somewhere to hide in order to use mine.

Chouji nodded. "You're right. On three?"

"One."

"Two."

"Three!"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Shikamaru knew what Naruto and Sasuke were going to have to do.

In fact, he had called this. Well, not really called this, but as he was laying awake last week, watching the clouds drift by, he had the crazy thought that the Sand and Sound might invade during the final stage of the chunin exams.

He often had crazy thoughts like this while staring at the clouds. It comforted him slightly that they were not complete wastes of time. Or maybe it didn't. He was supposed to be wasting time, dammit!

But it didn't matter. What mattered was that Naruto and Sasuke were going to have to fight Garaa, and he was the best person to help them. So once he saw Sasuke leap from the stands, following Kakashi (who was grabbing Naruto) Shikamaru sighed and launched himself from his seat.

He was forced to dodge around the fight between Orochimaru and The Hokage, but still managed to catch up with Naruto and Sasuke before they got too far.

"Shikamaru!" Naruto shouted as he fell into a line with them. "What are you doing here?"

"Helping us, obviously," Sasuke said. He turned to Shikamaru. "Right?"

Shikamaru grinned in what he hoped was a cocky manner. "Of course. You're taking down Garaa right? I can help."

"How?" Sasuke asked.

Shikamaru shrugged. "Support. I can bind him or anyone helping him. Worst comes to worst, I can delay any pursuers."

Sasuke grunted. "You won't give up on us will you?"

Shikamaru shook his head. He was going to be hearing about that one for years...

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

AN: Well, this is the longest chapter so far...beats "Reflection" by about 1000 words, which is nice. It needed to be long. But seriously, these chapters really show me which characters are easier to write than others - Shino, Shikamaru and Lee were particularly difficult here, whereas Kiba and Neji just flowed. The invasion will last one more chapter, but it'll be at least as long as this one, if not longer. We'll be seeing more of the genin as they try to survive the invasion...whee!

And I'm done. Hope you enjoy!


	27. Screams

Koyaiba leapt from rooftop to rooftop, his kusarigama gripped tightly in his hands. The invasion still raged around him, but it was more spread out now, and he was able to navigate the village without running through the middle of anything.

He had one goal - the enormous explosions and flashes of light that marked where Orochimaru was fighting the Hokage. Koyaiba skidded to a stop as a stray katon jutsu nearly fried him - as it was his jacket caught on fire, and he was forced to shed it.

Something grabbed his collar and hauled him back, even as a huge crack opened beneath his feet. Koyaiba grunted as he tumbled across the ground, and suddenly one of Konoha's ANBU was in his face. "What the hell are you dong soldier?" The ANBU shouted. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"I'm trying to help the Hokage!" Koyaiba shot back, struggling to his feet. The ANBU chuckled.

"Save your energy kid," he said. "You get any closer and the sheer killing intent is going to fry your brain. Not to mention that Orochimaru's got the first two Hokages fighting on his side."

"What?" Koyaiba shouted. "How in hell-"

"We don't know," the ANBU said calmly, "but they don't die and they're making sure nobody gets close to the third. Orochimaru really wants to kill the third himself.

Koyaiba swore loudly.

"Look kid," the ANBU said. "the best thing you can do right now is not get yourself killed, alright? I hear the Aburame compound got jacked. Go check over there and see if there's anything you can help with." There was another huge explosion, and the earth beneath Koyaiba's feet shook. The dirt around him was lifted a few feet into the air before settling back.

"Alright," Koyaiba said reluctantly. "I'll go." He threw one last look at the ANBU, who was shouting into a radio. Then Koyaiba took off, dashing through the street towards the Aburame compound. If it took serious damage it would be a disaster - the Aburame compound extended for several miles underground, and any stress there could have far reaching ramifications on the rest of the village.

He ran through the gates to the compound, looking around wildly for any signs of a fight. As it happened, Shino was walking towards him, completely calm and unhurried. "Shino!" Koyaiba shouted. The genin looked up, but said nothing. "I heard there was a fight going on here!"

"I have taken care of it," Shino said simply. his voice was it's usual unreadable monotone, but Koyaiba could sense something more behind it, something tense and excited. He was splattered in blood, but didn't seem to be hurt. "I believe that there are some summoning arrays that still need to be destroyed however. If you wish, I can accompany you."

Koyaiba frowned. Shino was acting...oddly. Even for an Aburame. Gan got like that sometimes, like the entire world was a river and it was flowing around him.

Shino arched an eyebrow, and Koyaiba managed a weak grin. "All right then. Let's roll out."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

When Koyaiba and Shino arrived at the nearest summoning array, the found Jiraiya dancing madly around the outer wall. His hands were glowing with chakra as he struck the air again and again, but nothing seemed to be changing - patterns flickered to life in mid air and immediately vanished, but the main seal on the ground never wavered. "Dammit!" Jiraiya shouted, as his hands stopped glowing.

Koyaiba and Shino landed next to him. "Anything we can do to help sir?" Koyaiba asked. He looked past the seal to see several Sound ninja prepare another summoning, speaking in low tones.

Jiraiya shook his head. "I don't know. Orochimaru's had years to perfect this seal, and he knows my style. It seems to absorbing everything I throw at it, and then using that energy to strengthen itself. And on top of that, I'm half certain there are some old Whirlpool patterns in here." He cursed again and turned back to the seal, blue chakra swirling in his palm. "Rasengan!"

The attack hit the invisible wall and detonated, but the seal held. Koyaiba however, did notice something odd - a small seal that was slightly independent of the rest glowing red just before the Rasengan struck the defenses. The glowed fiercely for a brief moment, and then the red light shot through the rest of the seal the instant before the Rasengan connected.

Koyaiba pointed it out. "Jiraiya-sama! What's that?"

Jiraiya turned and looked at the seal closely, blinking once as if not believing what he was seeing. "I think..." he struck the wall again, with his bare fist this time, and again the strange red light repeated itself. "My God..." Jiraiya said. "That has to be Whirlpool."

Shino reached down to touch the seal, but found himself blocked by the wall. "What is it?"

"It's a super advanced sensor," Jiraiya said calmly. "It detects potentially harmful chakra and then orders the sealing array to act accordingly. I don't know where Orochimaru learned how to make one, but the implications aren't good..." he scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Though now that I know what he's using I might be able to beat it." He grabbed a scroll from his belt and unfurled it, grabbing a pen and hastily scribbling a few seals. "This should...and then maybe...and a little bit of this..."

Koyaiba glanced away from the Toad Sage, and noticed that the Sound ninja inside the barrier were beginning to watch them more closely. They hadn't summoned anything for a while, but as Jiraiya began making his own counter seal, they started the process again.

"Jiraiya-sama..." Koyaiba said, gripping his kusarigama tightly. "They're summoning something again."

Jiraiya barely glanced up. "I'm almost done. If they do summon something, can you hold it off?"

"Maybe," Koyaiba said, and beside him Shino's bugs began quivering, their hollow rattling echoing around the area, "but we won't be able to protect you if you're sitting right there."

Jiraiya nodded, and a moment later he was gone. Not a moment too soon - the Sound ninja completed their summoning, and there was a huge puff of smoke.

An enormous snake, as big as Koyaiba's house, surged through the protective barriers. Koyaiba leapt into the air and Shino followed suit. The Aburame genin was suddenly surrounded by a swarm of bugs, which surged around him and actually carried him, allowing him to land on the roof of a house a good distance away.

Koyaiba reached the tip of his jump and began to fall, throwing the chain at the end of his kusarigama at the snake. The end of the chain sunk into the snake's body, allowing Koyaiba to swing as if from a vine. He yanked the chai out as he flew through the air and actually managed to land on the top of the snake's head.

Shino dashed across the rooftops below him, hurling a group of kunai at the snake. The enormous thing took them with contempt, but it was in considerably more pain when the exploding tags detonated. Koyaiba was forced to stab his kusarigama into the snake's head in order to stay on - even wall walking, he would've been thrown off as the snake bucked and writhed.

Of course, this only served to further infuriate the giant beast, and it bucked more violently, sending Koyaiba flying through the air. He hit a wall and fell to the ground, groaning in pain.

Shino had taken Koyaiba's spot on the top of the snake's head, and was using his bugs to go for the eyes. The snake was thrashing about, crashing through buildings with impunity. Koyaiba wondered if he could get it to destroy the barrier around the sealing arrays, but as he glanced back that way he noticed Jiraiya had already taken care of that. The sanin gave Koyaiba a wave and then vanished, reappearing in front of the snake.

The thing was half blind, but it must've been able to taste Jiraiya's chakra on the air because it dived right for him. Jiraiya simply hopped over the attack and pulled a short sword from seemingly midair, stabbing it into the snake's back even as it continued forward.

The snake screeched as the sword carved through it, and as Jiraiya pulled it out Koyaiba could see it was blazing with chakra. The snake fell, and a flurry of quick stabs from Shino's kunai finished it. It didn't vanish though, and Koyaiba turned to Jiraiya with a questioning look.

"Orochimaru's using a special technique to keep them here," Jiraiya said grimly, sheathing his blade. "Because they don't un-summon when we wound them, they're able to fight a lot longer. Giving out guys hell."

Koyaiba nodded. "Is there anything else you need our help with?"

"That was the only array with defenses. ANBU already cleared out most of the others, so I'm going to see if I can help the Hokage.

Koyaiba nodded and turned to Shino. "Maybe we can -" a huge explosion rocked the Hyuga compound, and Shino nodded towards it.

"There?"

"Let's go," Koyaiba said.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Kiba! Move!"

Sakura tackled Kiba to the ground as a group of kunai whizzed through the air where Kiba's head had been not moments ago. Tenzo grunted as he hit the ground - Kiba had been supporting him, and Sakura had been forced to tackle them both

Sakura popped up and took a shuriken to the shoulder, grunting as she wove a genjutsu. The world seemed to shift for a moment, stretching out as if reality had gone askew, and just as quickly snapped back to normal. Except Sakura, Kiba and Tenzo were no longer there.

The two Sand ninja attacking them immediately got back to back, convinced their enemy had simply body flickered. Sakura walked right up to the first one, her footsteps masked by the roar of the battle, and socked him in the nose.

He grabbed his bleeding face and tumbled to the ground, and Sakura stuck a kunai into the back of his friend. Her stomach tightened as he stopped breathing, and she felt like she wanted to puke - but she simply gathered up the memory and stored it in the back of her head for later.

Genjutsu was the art of manipulating minds, and there was so much you could do to your own. She wouldn't be able to lock the memory away forever - eventually it would bubble to the surface, but she could deal with that later. Right now she had to get Tenzo to safety.

Kiba was already halfway down the street, helping Tenzo hobble along. Sakura caught up with them quickly. "How much further is it Tenzo-sama? Sooner or later we're going to run out of luck."

"Just...a little further," Tenzo gasped, still clutching at his wound. "The ANBU...headquarters are...nearly impregnable. There should be...at least one medic working there."

Sakura nodded grimly and slipped Tenzo's free arm over her shoulder, helping Kiba drag the ANBU member across the ground. They were going painfully slowly, but at the very least nobody else attacked them.

They started to enter the ANBU headquarters, but Tenzo waved them off, pointing to a small noodle shop down the street. "Public headquarters...is a front...real entrance...over there."

Sakura swallowed. That was high level information Tenzo was giving him. Either she and Kiba had proven themselves trustworthy, or he was in worse condition than they had thought.

Tenzo stumbled through the noodle shop and gave them a wave, vanishing into the darkness.

Kiba glanced at her and shrugged. "We should probably help the others now. He'll be fine."

Sakura nodded, and they leapt to the nearest rooftop.

As if on cue, a group of shuriken flew towards them. This time, it was Kiba saving Sakura with the tackle, and before she could thank him he was on his feet and moving forward.

He pulled out a kunai and met the approaching Sound ninja head on, Akamaru sneaking around back to get a clear shot. Sakura laid an area genjutsu over the small dog, making his job that much easier. Kiba sprang away, and Sakura heard Akamaru howl as he sped through the air towards the Sound ninja like a mostly invisible drill.

But this wasn't some novice they were fighting - this was a true ninja. He leapt over Akamaru's attack and whipped his leg out, nearly taking Kiba's head off. As it was Kiba was thrown back and nearly falling of the roof, only managing to catch the ledge at the very last second.

Sakura charged forward but the Sound ninja blocked her strike with contemptuous ease and launched a punch at her chest. Sakura's eyes widened. With that much force his hand would go through her 13 year old frame like a hot knife through butter. If he connected she was -

"Hey asshole," came a new voice. "Pick on someone your own size."

Sakura heaved a shuddering breath as she glanced down. A woman had appeared between herself and the Sound nin, and had used two sai to block the strike that surely would've finished Sakura. She was dark skinned, like some ninja from the Cloud, and wearing a red bandanna that covered her head. Dreadlocks spilled from the back of the bandanna and hung to her waist.

The Sound ninja didn't say anything, simply leapt back and brought it's hands together. Wind coalesced into blades around him, firing towards Sakura's rescuer at impossible speeds.

The dark skinned ninja didn't even blink. She dodged the first wind blade, jumped over another one and substituted herself to a rooftop behind her enemy. The Sound ninja whirled around, and the moment he did, a figure burst through the roof beneath him, reaching out and grabbing his head with one hand. The Sound ninja collapsed to his knees, screaming, and suddenly slumped to the ground.

Sakura stared, wide-eyed. "What did you do to him?"

The man grinned and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, wiping some blood off his fingers with his konoha headband. "I healed him. The body has limiters, in the brain, to stop cells from dividing too many times. So I...removed them. And sped up the growth in his brain."

Sakura felt like she was about to throw up. Kiba just kind of shrugged and put a hand on her shoulder to steady her. "You kids should probably stick with us," the woman said, walking up to them. "We'll keep you alive. C'mon."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"I don't think we're being pursued," Shikamaru said as they leapt through the trees. "But I can't be sure."

"It'll have to do," Sasuke said grimly. He had taken point, Naruto and Shikamaru flanking him. Naruto had protested at first but in the end he simply wasn't as fast as the Uchiha - Sasuke had been training hard, and was now significantly faster than he had been.

Shikamaru nodded. "Do you have a plan? To take Garaa down."

Sasuke shook his head. "Not really. Hit him hard and fast with Naruto's Shadow Clones then come in with some of my techniques. Hope something breaks through."

Shikamaru grunted. "As weak as that is, we don't have enough information to come up with anything better. If we just knew more..."

"He's not human," Naruto said suddenly. He had been relatively quiet since their pursuit began, but now he was beginning to speak up. "When we fought...I've only felt...I think he's a Jinchuriki."

Shikamaru arched an eyebrow. "How in hell would you know if he's a-"

"If Naruto says he's a Jinchuriki, he's a Jinchuriki," Sasuke said harshly. "He was the one who got closest, who's had the most contact with him. We're trusting him."

Shikamaru shook his head. "But that's-"

A gleam of metal caught Sasuke's eye as it whizzed through the air.

"Get down!" He shouted, springing towards where he had seen the gleam. Naruto and Shikamaru instinctively dropped from the branches and onto the forest floor. There was an explosion, and branches showered the two genin.

Sasuke stuck to a tree and pulled out a kunai, swinging around the trunk and swinging blindly with the tiny weapon. It hit metal and Sasuke rebounded, catching a glimpse of black cloth and purple paint - the puppeteer, Kankuro.

"I'll take him!" Shikamaru shouted, leaping onto the branch beside Sasuke. "He's trying to delay you! Take Naruto and go!"

Sasuke didn't hesitate, leaping high into the air and over the sand genin. A kunai came from the leaves of the tree below him, but he caught it by the handle and threw it back, landing among the branches. Naruto wasn't hard to spot with his bright orange jumpsuit.

"We've got to catch up with Garaa." Naruto said, pushing forward. Now it was Sasuke who was struggling to keep up, as Naruto pushed himself harder and harder. "Jeez Sasuke, you should've felt it...our chakras like, connected somehow, and then bounced away, and I felt things."

"Resonation," Sasuke said. "It sometimes happens between clan members or others with similar chakras. I guess the demonic chakra you share was enough to form a brief connection."

Naruto nodded slowly. "Yeah...yeah maybe."

"What did you see?" Sasuke asked.

"Heard," Naruto said with a shudder. "I heard...screams."

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

**AN: **That chapter took a while. School and stuff. Hope you enjoyed!


	28. The Fox, the Hawk, and the Raccoon Dog

**The Fox, the Hawk, and the Raccoon Dog**

Only a few minutes after leaving Shikamaru to deal with Kankuro, Sasuke caught sight of Temari's giant fan through the leaves.

"We're close," he snarled, pouring on extra speed. Naruto accelerated next to him, and as they flew through the canopy Sasuke saw that Temari was slowing down. He bounced off another large branch and readied his chakra, hands crashing together to form the familiar seals. "Fire release: Grand-"

"Kamaitachi!"

The gust of wind hit Sasuke mid jump and threw him back, sending him tumbling to the ground. He groaned but hopped to his feet - nothing was seriously hurt.

"Shadow clone jutsu!"

Narutos flooded the area around Sasuke, shielding him from any more attacks. But Temari hesitated for only a moment before unleashing another Kamaitachi, destroying most of the clones before they had a chance to react.

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted from above him. "I'll take Temari! You have to keep going after Gaara! He's getting away!"

Sasuke stared incredulously up towards the branches, where Gaara's body was surrounded by sand. The sand had wrapped around him and formed maybe six tentacle like legs, which were busy carrying him through the treetops.

Sasuke shook his head. "It has to be you," he said. "You have the best chance of beating him." He stared straight at Temari. The girl was avoiding looking him in the eyes, though Sasuke doubted it would've made much of a difference. He hadn't found the time to focus on genjutsu. If - When he got out of this, he'd ask Sakura to help him.

...

Ask _Sakura_ to help _him_? Something was seriously wrong.

Sasuke was yanked back to reality as Temari wound up for another strike - but the instant before she unleashed, a white blur flew through the air and knocked the fan out of her hands.

"Neither of you will fight here," Neji said coldly. His feet were stuck to the bottom of a branch, and he was watching Temari closely with bulging, too-white eyes. "She's mine."

Temari snarled and grabbed her fan, swinging it, but Neji was gone in an instant, charging towards the Sand girl with chakra coated palms. Naruto dropped down next to Sasuke and the Uchiha boy grabbed his friend, dragging him past the fight. Temari tried to send an attack their way, but Neji was pressing her, forcing her to keep her defense up.

Naruto and Sasuke sprinted after Gaara's body. The sand was actually moving him along quite quickly, and it had a bit of a head start. Naruto and Sasuke however, were ninja, and within a few moments they were there.

Sasuke leapt forward, a kunai in hand. If the sand was occupied with moving Gaara like that maybe it wouldn't be able to -

A large sand tentacle knocked him out of the air, and he hit a large branch with a particularly loud thud. Sasuke groaned. "Why does this keep happening to me?"

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Dozens of Narutos sprang towards Gaara, but the sand had stopped moving now and was devoting its energy to defending Gaara instead of moving him. A single swipe destroyed a good chunk of the attacking Narutos, leaving the rest to find less direct ways past Gaara's defenses.

Sasuke cursed and got to his feet, bringing his hands together in seals. "Fire release: Dragon's Breath Jutsu!"

Fire exploded from his mouth in a spray like pattern, a large cone shape. The sand formed a makeshift wall, but it was too little too late - it was still recovering from Naruto's strikes, and the fire blew past the weak defenses it mustered.

Gaara screamed as the fire reached him, waking up from his semi-coma. The sand around him began twisting itself around his body, forming...things. Sasuke dodged under a strike from an enormous sand arm and leapt away, as Naruto landed in front of him, hands together.

The arm shot towards the orange clad genin, but Naruto stood his ground, going through hand seals as fast as he could manage. Sasuke could see them clearly: Tiger, horse, boar, ram, rat, snake -

"Needle Jizo Jutsu!"

Naruto's signature spiky blonde hair elongated with unnatural speed, wrapping itself around him like a protective barrier. The sand hand hit it hard but Naruto stayed firmly rooted to one spot - he must've been using the tree climbing technique.

Failing to knock Naruto away, the hand attempted to grab him. It closed around his hair covered body but quickly recoiled, and Gaara let out a yowl of pain that was only partly human.

With the Sharingan, Sasuke could see Naruto melding more chakra. "Hell Needle jutsu!"

The extra hair ripped from his head and shot towards Gaara at incredible speeds. The red haired genin was forced to leap from his perch, and the movement allowed Sasuke to get a good look at him.

Gaara was nearly completely covered in sand, which formed some kind of bizarre armor around him. It took the shape of a raccoon dog, complete with a tail and ears. Even his eyes had changed - they were yellow now, with square pupils.

Definitely a Jinchuuriki. Shit.

Sasuke leapt forwards, and the thing that used to be Gaara attempted to swat him out of the air. This time though, Sasuke was expecting it - he flipped in midair and pushed off the thing's forearm with his hands. The motion sent him flying towards Gaara's head (for it was still Gaara's head, if only partially) and he managed to kick the sand genin hard across the face. Gaara's neck cracked and jerked at an odd angle...but the boy only grinned and laughed, the sand wrenching it back into place.

Then Naruto stuck an explosive note under it's tail, and it screamed in pain. Tiny packs of sand whistled through the air and Sasuke was forced to leap back, twisting unnaturally to avoid being hit.

Even with his Sharingan, he wasn't able to dodge everything. Sand hit him in the shoulder and sent him spinning, but he managed to land on a branch and avoid any serious energy.

Naruto's hands were trapped by twin tendrils of sand, and he was kicking more away even as they tried to claw his eyes out. Sasuke was beside his friend in an instant, kicking away one tendril and slicing through another with a well placed chop. Naruto broke free and both fell back.

"He's not going wear down is he?" Sasuke asked as they hid behind a tree. "He's just going to keep getting stronger."

Naruto nodded grimly. "When you take the power...it's like nothing you've ever experienced. And the longer it goes, the more control the demon gets, and-"

"It's a cycle," Sasuke finished. Naruto nodded, and Sasuke peeked out from behind the tree. Gaara was currently clutching his head and moaning about blood - something about his mother too, which seriously freaked Sasuke out. "Well then," he said, "we'll just have to hit him as hard as we can and hope that we take him out before he gets too strong."

Naruto nodded. "I'm still not too great with the ninjutsu that pervy old man taught me, but if you back me up I might be able to hit him with some taijutsu."

"Go," Sasuke said, already readying another fire release. "I'll support you. Don't be afraid to fall back if he starts overwhelming you."

Naruto grinned. "Remember who you're talking to here. I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" He formed a hand seal, and suddenly dozens of him were charging Gaara, screaming at the top of their lungs. "I'm the one doing the overwhelming."

Sasuke leapt into the air and felt his mouth fill with chakra. "Fire Release: Firefly Swarm Jutsu!" Tiny embers shot from his mouth, and Sasuke sagged as the chakra seeped out of him.

It was a chakra intensive technique, one that Kakashi had taught him, but it was damn useful. The embers were actually tightly condensed fireballs - while not explosive, they generated extreme heat. And at higher levels he would be able to control the embers direction, allowing them to encircle an opponent, but at this level it took too much chakra to even generate the embers, much less control them.

The embers hit Gaara in his sand arm, causing large pieces to slag off as Gaara roared in pain. Naruto's horde wasn't far behind, kicking and punching at the thing wherever they got the chance. Gaara was forced back by the barrage but quickly recovered, swatting Narutos left and right.

Sasuke stood despite his shaking legs and tried to form another jutsu. He was tired - and the curse seal on his neck was aching. He slapped it irritably and that seemed to dull the pain a bit.

After a moment he realized he wasn't going to be of much use without chakra, and so he grabbed a small soldier pill and popped it in. Kakashi had said relying too much on soldier pills were dangerous (eating too many seemed to cause everything from fever to visual hallucinations) But Sasuke figured that now was as good a time as any. Strength surged back into his body and he pressed his hands together again. Naruto was in the process of wrestling with Gaara's giant sand arm but it was a losing battle.

Sasuke pressed his hands together and drew back his head. "Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu!" A volley of small fireballs shot from his mouth, and Sasuke's hands flashed down to his weapons pouch, grabbing a few shuriken before flicking them into the flames.

Gaara knocked the first one away only a moment after slamming Naruto into a tree, but the next two caught him in the chest. The sand absorbed most of the blows, but Sasuke saw the exposed flesh char and Gaara stumbled back, eyes wide.

"Go!" Sasuke roared, launching himself towards Gaara. Naruto followed suit behind him but suddenly there was an enormous puff of smoke and Sasuke hit a solid wall of sand.

He looked up.

Gaara's body was completely covered in Sand, forming a complete raccoon dog that stood hundreds of feet tall. The thing cackled madly, looking down at his new arms. "Oh yes...yes!"

"Naruto..." Sasuke said, backing up slowly in an attempt to get a better look at the thing's face. "What just happened?"

"I have no idea," Naruto said with a gulp. They both looked at each other, and shrugged.

'I'm out of ideas," Sasuke said. "Maybe if we get to the head we can stab it's eyes." The thing was barely paying any attention to them anymore - it was still cackling and talking about how it was going to murder them in increasingly creative ways.

"How would we get up there?" Naruto asked. "You're not thinking we should scale it are you?"

"Unless you have another way," Sasuke said, pushing his chakra towards his feet. "Hopefully it's too slow to tear us to pieces like he's describing."

"No, wait," Naruto said. "I...might be able to get us up there."

"Gonna need more than a might, Naruto."

Naruto nodded, his face shifting from uneasy to determined in a moment. "I never really managed it before...but if there was ever the time to pull a miracle out of my ass..." he bit his thumb, drawing blood, and formed several hand seals. He pressed his hands to the earth, and took a deep breath. "Summoning Jutsu!"

There was a puff of smoke, and suddenly Sasuke was eye level with the sand monster.

He let out a curse and looked down. He and Naruto were standing on an enormous orange head that looked like it belonged to a...frog?

Naruto whooped. "I did it! Oh hell yeah I did it!" Sasuke stared in amazement around him. With this thing on their side they actually had a fighting chance. Maybe if-

"Hey, what the hell is this?" The frog said from below them. His voice caused his entire head to vibrate, and Sasuke had to make a conscious effort to stay standing. "You! Punks! Why are you on my head?" He paused for a moment. "Did that perverted geezer put you up there?"

"What? No!" Naruto said, sliding down the frog's head so he was in front of one enormous eye. "I summoned you!" He pointed at the sand monster. "Now fight that for me!"

The frog gave him a long stare. "Fight Shukaku? For a little kid who lies? Fat chance."

Sasuke's eyes widened. _Oh come on..._

"Hey!" Naruto shouted. "I'm not a liar! I summoned you, you piece of shit toad! Now fight for me!"

The frog laughed. "The Boss Toad Gamabunta fights for no man if he doesn't want to, got that kid? You want your head ripped off?" He bellowed, and Naruto was thrown flat by the force of his voice. "Eh?"

Naruto, taken surprised by the sudden display of force, decided to apologize. "I'm...sorry...Boss Toad..."

Gamabunta chuckled. "Ah, calm down. I'll make you minion! You should be honored."

Naruto nodded eagerly. "Yeah! And since I'm your underling you should fight to protect me right?"

This time Gamabunta's laugh was booming. "You're persistent, you know that punk? We haven't even shared sake yet, you're not family..."

Sasuke smacked his forehead with his palm. "This is going to take forever..." he muttered, rooting around in his pack as Naruto launched into some half-assed excuse about not being old enough to drink.

Sasuke yanked a vial, about the size of a kunai, out of his bag. He uncapped it and slid down to where Naruto was standing, showing some of it into the blonde genin's mouth. "Drink." Naruto spluttered a bit but swallowed, immediately making a face.

"Ew. What's that?"

"Sake," Sasuke said, tossing the rest of the vial into Gamabunta's mouth. The toad looked at him curiously. "Sakura mentioned that alcohol was good for cleaning wounds and there's been a ton of it lying around the Uchiha compound since...for years."

Gamabunta laughed again, another boom that felt like an earthquake. "I like you son...I like you."

He pulled a sword out of his sheath and shifted into position. "Very well. As you are now my loyal underling and loving family, I'll fight for you."

"It's about time!" Shukaku roared. Sasuke peered at the top of his head, where something was emerging from the sand. _Gaara's torso?_

"Oh shit..." Gamabunta said. "This isn't good..."

"What isn't?" Naruto asked. "What's happening?"

"Shukaku's full powers are kept in check by it's host," Gamabunta explained, "up until it's host falls asleep. Then it takes control." Sasuke saw Gaara perform a knockout jutsu on himself, and Shukaku...changed. The air around him began to shift until he was covered in a fine mist, shimmering oddly as the sand monster moved. A wave of killing intent nearly knocked Sasuke over, but somehow he stood. It was more powerful than Orochimaru's had been, but less concentrated, less...inhuman.

Hm. That had troubling implications.

"All right!" Shukaku laughed, looking down at his hands. "Finally free! Let's do this!"

"Hold on..." Gamabunta muttered as Shukaku began forming hand seals. Sasuke immediately pushed chakra to his feet and stuck to the toad's head.

"I'm just glad he decided to sit around and wait for us to finish our argument like that," Naruto said. "Made everything a lot easier."

"Shukaku wouldn't attack an enemy while they were distracted," Gamabunta said. "He kills for the sport of it, not just for the sake of killing. That's also why he's got the kid exposed like that, instead of hiding him somewhere in his body."

"What do we do?" Sasuke asked.

"For now? Dodge!" Gamabunta shouted as Shukaku spat enormous gusts of air at them. He leapt into the air and the sudden wind knocked bot Sasuke and Naruto flat.

The Toad landed behind Shukaku, swinging it's massive sword with such force that it literally tore the trees from the ground below it. It slammed into Shukaku's back with a deafeningly loud slap, but Shukaku knocked it away with his tail.

"You have to wake up the host!" Gamabunta roared. He blocked a second strike from Shukaku's tail and then cut an air bullet in half with his sword - the resulting gale tore Naruto from the Toad's head, and Sasuke only barely managed to grab his friend's ankle before he was sent tumbling to the ground below.

"Got it!" Sasuke shouted, pulling Naruto back to safety. "Get in close!"

Gamabunta leapt again, but this time instead of going up he went forward. Naruto readied himself (how he was still able to even move after pulling off such a massive summon, Sasuke had no idea) and suddenly they were there. Gamabunta sunk his blade into Shukaku's stomach and Sasuke and Naruto were in the air, soaring towards Gaara. They hit Shukaku's sandy head with dull thumps, and immediately sand began to wrap around them - but without even having to speak they leapt to the side, switching places and knocking the sand away.

Below the Shukaku was laying a beating down on Gamabunta, not even bothering to pull the sword out of his gut. But Sasuke had no time to focus on the fight happening below them - he and Naruto were fighting their way through a forest of sand tentacles as they made their way towards Gaara. Every time they shattered one two more rose to attack them, and it looked like they weren't going to be able to do it.

"Naruto!" Sasuke shouted. "Use the fox!"

Naruto looked at him incredulously. "What?"

"Do it!" Sasuke shouted, cutting another tentacle in half. "Think of Konoha!"

Naruto's eyes closed, and suddenly the sand around them was thrown away. Orange light surrounded Sasuke's friend, forcing the sand beneath his feet to actually recoil. It was still Naruto's eyes though - for now, at least, his friend was still in control.

Sasuke and Naruto charged forward, and time seemed to slow down. Their fists connected with Gaara's head simultaneously, and then Sasuke was falling...

Falling...

Falling...

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Jiraiya slammed his fist into the Second Hokage's chest, and the cloth surrounding it unraveled, wrapping itself around the Second Hokage's body. "Thank you," the dead Hokage said as the sealing completed, binding his body and mind.

Jiraiya cast a tired glance around him. Two cloth wrapped bundles, containing the First and Second Hokage's bodies respectively. Kurenai was slumped unconscious up against a wall -Jiraiya thanked the Gods for that woman, he never would've been able to seal the Hokages without her. He hadn't had the chance to go Sage Mode, and even with the Hokages calling their attacks out to him the fight had pushed him to his limits.

But this wasn't over yet. He still had to find the Third Hokage...

"Ah, there you are," Orochimaru said from behind him.

Jiraiya looked towards where the voice had come from. Orochimaru stood on the ruins of a building, a smug smile on his face, black hair blowing in the wind. He chuckled to himself. "I have a present for you, old friend."

And then he threw the Third Hokage's head at Jiraiya's feet.

Jiraiya sank to his knees. "How..."

Orochimaru chuckled again, but suddenly he pressed a hand to his side, face twisting painfully. He regained his composure after a moment, but there was blood dripping from his side. "The old fool attempted to save a young child caught up in the fighting. It made quite the opening."

"Monster..." Jiraiya said, getting to his feet and pressing his hands together. "You're going to die for this!"

Orochimaru shook his head. "I don't think so. I don't have any intention of dieing at your hands, old friend, or at all, if truth be told. And I'm smart enough to know that if we fought now, I'd most likely lose." He shrugged. "I got what I came for. I killed the Third. I'll take my leave now."

And suddenly Orochimaru vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Shadow clone," Jiraiya spat. In the distance, the enormous sand monster that had been fighting Gamabunta dissolved. The sounds of fighting had stopped, and Jiraiya knew that the Sound forces had pulled a retreat along with their master. Sand would surrender now that Gaara was down. "We won..." Jiraiya said sadly. "We won."

Maybe, he thought, if he said it enough, he'd start believing it.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

**AN: **And another arc comes to a close. Next up is the reconstruction of Konoha, which will in fact be an arc, though with a bit less fighting.

And yes, the Third is dead and Orochimaru still has his arms. You didn't think all the changes would be positive did you? All in all, the invasion was short this go round and fewer Konoha ninja were killed at the cost of much more structural damage, and more civilian deaths. And of course, Orochimaru.

As always, thank you for reading and reviewing!


	29. Bloodlines

**Reconstruction Part I**

_In which Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke have a history lesson_

Naruto woke up with a pounding headache and a dry mouth.

It was dark, too dark to see, but he could at least tell that he was laying on something soft.

_How can you still move? How are you so strong?_

Naruto groaned and sat up, looking around to try and figure out where he was. His head _hurt_. The last thing he could remember was giving Gaara a good punch to the face.

_There are different kinds of strength Gaara. You fight for yourself, but I fight…for something greater._

A hospital. He was in a hospital. Naruto blinked. Why was he in the hospital?

_Don't move. You used up too much chakra. It's over Naruto, it's done, we win._

"Is anyone there?" Naruto asked into the darkness. His voice was scratchy and hoarse. He glanced outside and saw stars – it was late. Maybe he should just go back to sleep.

"Bout time you woke up," Sasuke said from his left.

Naruto jerked his head around to see Sasuke sitting in a chair that was set up against the wall. His arm was in a sling and he had several bandages on his face, but otherwise seemed ok. Sakura was next to him, head resting lightly on his shoulder. Her eyes were closed and a little drool was hanging out the side of her mouth.

"Aw that's so sweet," Naruto said with a grin. Sasuke rolled his eyes and slowly moved his shoulder away – Sakura's head lolled over to the other side, but her eyes stayed closed.

"I fell asleep before her," he said stiffly, but through the darkness Naruto noticed a faint blush. "I just now woke up. I didn't even notice."

"Oh yeah sure," Naruto said, chuckling. A few months ago something like that would've sent him into a jealous rage, but now he knew Sasuke well enough to know that the Uchiha didn't think about Sakura like that.

It was still fun to tease him though. "How long have I been here?" Naruto asked. "What happened to everyone else?"

"It's only been a few days," Sasuke said. "After we woke Gaara, the sand broke down. It leveled a good section of he forest, but the sand managed to slow our fall enough that we didn't get seriously hurt." He smirked. "Well, I didn't get seriously hurt. You broke both your legs."

"What?" Naruto said, throwing the covers off him and staring at his legs. They didn't _seem _broken…

"Relax," Sasuke said. "They healed before I even had the chance to stand up. You tried to stand but your legs were too weak and so were your arms…so you started using your chin to drag yourself towards Gaara."

"Oh."

"Yeah. He started freaking out – he couldn't move at all, I barely could. He gave up then, whispered something about his mother and fell unconscious. Then I started freaking out, but Shukaku didn't come out again. Gamabunta said it was because Gaara was too hurt to channel more demonic chakra."

Naruto exhaled. "We almost died."

"Almost," Sasuke said. "But not quite. I'm going to go home now. I'll just…leave her here," he said, motioning towards Sakura.

"You should probably take her home," Naruto said, settling back into the bed. He yawned contentedly and stared at the stars out the window.

Sasuke laughed and walked out the door.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

When Naruto woke up the next day, Sakura was gone. He wasn't sure if that was because Sasuke had taken her home or because she had woken up earlier, but he doubted it was the former. He sat up in his bed and stretched his arms out, noticing a meager breakfast on the sideboard next to him, along with a hastily scrawled note. Naruto picked it up.

_Naruto,_

_We apologize that there is nobody in your room attending to you, but we have a lot of patients and you are relatively unhurt. The doctors have declared you fit, and you may leave the hospital after eating. Best of luck!_

_P.S. Could you sign the back of this paper? My son has been pestering me non-stop for the autograph of the boy who defeated Gaara. Thank you!_

Naruto stared at the piece of paper for a moment, slowly reading the last part over and over again.

He swallowed once. Next to the water was a small pencil. He picked it up with trembling hands and turned the note over.

_NO.1 Hokage Candidate_

_Naruto_

He put the _Naruto_ in between a Konoha spiral and the leaf symbol of the village, and set the note back on the bed. Then he slowly got out of bed, put on his orange jumpsuit, (which was hanging on a rack by the window) and walked out the door.

Nobody stopped him, though a few of the hospital staff smiled at him. He smiled hesitantly back, and that seemed to satisfy them. Then he headed back home.

He saw Sasuke on the way. "You're out already," the dark haired ninja said, putting down the heavy piece of wood he was carrying. "I didn't expect you to be up so soon."

Naruto nodded. "I…I uh, I got up pretty early."

Sasuke peered at him oddly, but said nothing of it. "Whatever. You'll have an hour or two before they set you to work. And my break starts…ten minutes ago." He shoved his hands in his pocket and started walking down the street next to Naruto. "You're going to want to make sure your house wasn't too wrecked. There were a ton of huge snakes during the invasion and they destroyed a lot."

"I'm sure my apartment's fine," Naruto said with a grin. "It can survive anything! Believe it!"

Unfortunately for Naruto, there was not a single stone of his apartment building left standing.

"Uhhhhg where am I gonna sleep!" Naruto shouted, clutching his hair. "And all my ramen was in there! I had just bought it the day before the exam!"

Sasuke smirked and pointed towards a vaguely yellow splotch on a nearby section of concrete. "Maybe that's your ramen."

Naruto moaned. "Not funny Sasuke! Where are all the other people from my building living?"

"In some temporary camp," Sasuke said with a shrug. "It's pretty cramped. You don't want to sleep there, people will steal your stuff."

"It's not like I really have anywhere else," Naruto said, flopping down onto a piece of rubble. "Man I hope I had insurance…"

"Relax," Sasuke said. "You'll be fine. C'mon. Let's get you settled in." He stood and started walking towards the south wall of Konoha.

"Sasuke, you're going the wrong way," Naruto said, hurrying to catch up with him. "There's nothing to the south except the…" he trailed off.

"Uchiha compound," Sasuke said. "C'mon, it was basically untouched during the invasion. There'll be plenty of space and nobody's going to rob you."

Naruto clutched at his head as Sasuke walked off again.

_Something is seriously wrong with the world._

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"And this is the library," Sasuke said, opening the door so Naruto could see the room. Rows upon rows of scrolls filled the medium sized room – Naruto hadn't seen this many scrolls since the Konoha library, (actually the Konoha library probably had fewer scrolls than the Uchiha one after what he had done to it) but honestly that didn't impress the yellow haired genin all that much.

"Boooooring," he said, miming a yawn. "Let's go back to the training grounds! Or the kitchen!" They had already covered the majority of the compound, and while the kitchen was impressive it lacked ramen, something that worried Naruto to no end.

"No, stop being an idiot," Sasuke said, walking into the library. "I'm going to show you something really cool."

Naruto followed him hesitantly, sneezing at the dust that had piled up on the scrolls during the years. "What's with all the dust?" he asked Sasuke. "Don't you ever come in here?"

Sasuke shrugged. "No, not really. If I need a scroll I go to the Konoha library."

"How come?" Naruto asked, looking more closely at some of the scrolls. "I mean this place looks like it has everything you'd ever-" he stopped as he noticed several dark red stains on the otherwise white carpet. "Never…never mind."

"Here it is," Sasuke said, ignoring Naruto's previous comment. He walked up to an old candleholder and yanked it twice; causing the shelf it was mounted on to slide towards them with a low rumble. It then moved to the side, revealing a small door with an intricate design on it. "This is the door to the secret library," Sasuke explained as Naruto stared, dumbstruck.

"If it's secret why are you showing it to me?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke shrugged again. "It's not really a secret entrance. And you can't open the door anyway. Only an Uchiha can do it." He pointed towards the designs. "See this? It's a seal made for the Uchiha clan by the Fourth Hokage himself. It can only be opened by Uchiha chakra."

"Yeah, whatever," Naruto says. "That door doesn't look so tough. I'll be I could knock it down."

Sasuke studied the door for a moment. "Actually it does look like it's gotten weaker over the years, you could probably…"

"RAAAAAAH!" Naruto shouted, charging the door. He hit it as hard as he could, but instead of the door breaking down, the seals lit up with a violent red light. Naruto shouted and tried to jerk his hand away, only to find it stuck to the door.

"Oh right," Sasuke said with a smirk. "It's got special defenses too."

Naruto screamed again as the chakra in the door absorbed his kinetic energy and boosted it, directing it back at him. It blew him across the library, where he hit one of the old shelves with a thud. "Ow."

Sasuke chuckled. "Alright, let's go. I want to show you-"

"No wait," Naruto said, approaching the door again. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto! No mere door can stop me!" He studied the pattern intensely, placing his hand in the middle and pushing his chakra through it.

The seals on the door began glowing with blue light, and with a small click the door opened.

"Oh hell yeah!" Naruto said, pumping his fist in victory. "I opened the secret door! Believe it!"

Sasuke stared, his jaw nearly on the floor. "What…did it…break? That's impossible!" He shouted, shutting the door. "We need a third opinion. Where the hell is Sakura?"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Sasuke-kun, you've never invited me over to your house before…" Sakura said, stepping into the library. "I can't believe you really – what is Naruto doing here?"

"We need you to see something," Sasuke said, pointing at the door. "Open that. Just push your chakra through it."

A puzzled look spread over Sakura's face. "Why?"

"Just do it," Sasuke said, pushing her closer to the door.

"Al…Alright," she said, pressing her hand to the door. The seal on the door began to glow, but instead of the cool blue it had become for Naruto's chakra, it was an angry red. Sakura jerked her hand away with a hiss of pain. "No good."

"What the hell!" Sasuke muttered, staring at the door. "Naruto can open it."

"But…doesn't this seal only take Uchiha chakra?" Sakura asked, peering at it closely. "I've seen this before. There's a scroll, in the library-"

"A scroll?" Sasuke said suddenly "Can you get it?"

Sakura's look of confusion intensified. "I mean yes, but why?"

"No questions," Sasuke said. "Just get it, and as many scrolls about sealing as you possibly can. "We're going to figure out what's wrong with my door."

"I could get the Pervy Sage," Naruto offered. "He knows about seals and stuff."

"We don't need him," Sasuke said. "This is my responsibility, and you're helping me because you live here now and Sakura's helping me because she's my teammate."

"You can count on me, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura shouted. "Wait, Naruto's living here?"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Hours later, and they had still made almost no progress.

Naruto moaned, clutching at his hair. "My head hurts," he complained. "All these patterns are blending together. And this one moves," he said, pointing at one seal on a scroll that was shifting to show the different stages of activation. "Can't we just give it up already?"

"Hold on a second Naruto," Sakura said, staring intently down at a scroll and chewing on the eraser of a pencil. "I think I've got something here."

"You've been saying that for the past four hours," Naruto said, falling back and looking up at the ceiling. "This is so complicated and boring. I'd rather be rebuilding Konoha."

"Nobody's rebuilding anything until we figure out what's wrong with my door," Sasuke said stubbornly. "There's important stuff back there, and I don't trust you."

Naruto sighed, but Sakura stood suddenly, a look of triumph on her face. "I've got it!" She shouted, pointing at a footnote in one of her scrolls. "Look at this! It matches this part right here!" She said, tapping a section of the seal on the Uchiha's door. "This is a technique that was created in Whirlpool shortly before it was torn apart by civil war."

"So what does it do?" Sasuke said, rubbing his eyes.

"It's…it's almost like another receiver," Sakura said, biting her lip. "It's difficult to explain. It's like a backdoor maybe. It senses a certain type of chakra, and when it does it redirects it down a different path – bypassing whatever security the creator might've put in there."

"So why does it react to my chakra?" Naruto asked. "I didn't make the stupid thing."

"I…I don't know," Sakura admitted, staring back down at the scroll. "The most likely scenario is that…is that the creator of the seal made a backdoor for himself, and your chakra is similar enough to trigger the backdoor."

"But the range of chakra it accepts has to be small right?" Sasuke asked. "It would take synchronization level similarity between the creator's chakra and Naruto's, at least."

"This seal is really well done," Sakura said. "I'd say higher than synchronization, maybe the level of similarity that often occurs between a…" she glanced up at Naruto, "a father and a son. Who did you say made this again?"

Sasuke and Naruto stared at each other.

"It make sense," Sasuke said, his voice barely more than a whisper. Naruto shook his head.

"No, it doesn't. It doesn't make sense at all."

"No, it does!" Sasuke insisted. "You even look like him! And he had a wife that was pregnant around the same time as my mom! They were really good friends – my mom said she miscarried, but-"

"Sasuke, I know who my dad is," Naruto cut in. "And it's not the Fourth."

"The Fourth?" Sakura asked, rubbing her temples. "The Fourth Hokage made this seal?"

"You know who your dad is?" Sasuke asked Naruto, ignoring Sakura completely. "Why didn't you tell anyone then!"

"I…" Naruto shook his head again. "I'm Yamanaka Inoichi's bastard. I'm Ino's half brother, but nobody is supposed to know that, ok?"

"What?" Sakura shouted. "Naruto, stop being an idiot! Ino's dad never had any other kids."

"I'm not being an idiot!" Naruto shouted back. "A couple years ago I asked Old man Hokage who my dad was but he wouldn't tell me. Later that day Iruka talked about how all the official clan records were in the Hokage's tower, so I broke in and found mine." He swallowed. "I…I have a folder all to myself. Inoichi had an affair with another girl and she gave birth to me a few months after Ino was born. They never told anyone, not even Inoichi, because it would be too much of a controversy. At first I thought it was just because I was a bastard, but now I know it's because of my…condition."

"Condition?" Sakura asked. "Naruto, Sasuke, I'm so confused, you guys need to tell me what's going on."

Naruto and Sasuke exchanged glances, and Naruto sighed. "Can you keep a secret?"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Alright, let's slow down for just a second," Sakura said, rubbing her temples. "This is a little too much. We need to review what we know." She held up one finger. "One. The seal on this door was made by the Fourth Hokage." Sasuke nodded. "Two," she said, holding up another finger, "the Fourth included a backdoor in the seal, which was _most likely _designed to allow him to bypass the defenses." Sasuke nodded again. "Three," Sakura continued, holding up a third finger, "Naruto can open the seal through the backdoor, which would require a chakra similarity most commonly found between a parent and their child." Naruto nodded, and Sakura ran a hand through her hair. "Four, Naruto found records which claimed he was the bastard of Yamanaka Inoichi. Five, Naruto looks like the Fourth Hokage. Six, the Fourth Hokage had a wife that was pregnant around the same time as Sasuke's mom. Seven, that wife was said to have miscarried and died during childbirth. Eight, Naruto is the host of the Kyuubi, which attacked Konoha roughly 14 years ago on October 10." She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Is that it?"

"Yeah," Sasuke said. "Any theories?"

"I'm working on it?" Sakura said, chewing her bottom lip. "Naruto, when's your birthday?"

"Huh? Oh, like November sixth or something," Naruto said.

"So you weren't even alive during the Fox's attack," Sakura said. "And you do look a lot like Ino, come to think about it. Same hair, only slightly different eyes."

"But that doesn't explain the door," Sasuke protested. "If the village wanted to hide Naruto's…guest, lying about his age would be the first thing they would do."

"That's true," Sakura admitted. "Let's look at it that way for a moment. Say that Naruto was born the ninth or tenth of October, and he was the Fourth's son. What happens?"

"The Fox attacks," Sasuke said, deep in thought. "Naruto's mom is dead or dying. The Fourth rushes out to fight the Fox, but can't fight it so instead he seals it in his newborn son."

"Ok," Sakura said, nodding slightly. "Ok. The Third takes up the mantle of Hokage again, and for whatever reason, hides the Fox's existence from the village. Naruto goes through his life, but-"

"But the rest of the village hates me," Naruto said quietly. "Because they know I have the Fox."

"R-Right," Sakura said. "They plant the story that Naruto is Inoichi's son so that…I don't know, why would they do that?"

"The Fourth made a lot of enemies during the last Shinobi war," Sasuke said. "If the Stone knew he had a son, Naruto would never get a moment's rest."

"Alright," Sakura said, leaning back and looking up at the ceiling. "That actually makes a surprising amount of sense…but we still have no proof that Konoha isn't just telling the truth about Naruto's birthday and heritage."

"We'll just ask old man Hokage," Naruto said, standing up suddenly. His face was set in a determined manner, and he headed towards the door. "Was the Hokage's tower ruined during the attack? Do you think he's in there?"

Sakura cleared her throat. "Naruto…Naruto I'm so sorry."

"The Third's dead," Sasuke said bluntly. "The council chose the new Hokage the day after the invasion."

"Who?" Naruto asked. His eyes were unnaturally wide, like they still hadn't processed the news of the Third Hokage's death. "Who was it? Who did they name? Who's the Fifth Hokage?"

"They offered the job to Jiraiya," Sasuke said, "that perverted sage you keep talking about right? "But he refused. He recommended someone else for the position, but whoever it was isn't currently in the village, and with Orochimaru still on the loose the Council decided we needed a new Hokage as soon as possible."

"So who was it?" Naruto asked.

"Hyuuga Hiashi."

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

**AN:** So, the start of the new arc. I had actually been looking forward to this chapter for some time now - hopefully it came out realistic. I personally think they had enough information to draw the conclusions they did, but it's your opinions that matter.

The rest of the chapters this arc will focus more on individual characters that will tie up with an ensemble chapter. Goody!

As always, thanks for reading and reviewing.


	30. Intrigue, Worries, & Other Such Musings

**Reconstruction Part II**

_In which Koyaiba struggles with friends, Hinata with family, Kiba with politics, and Shino with tradition_

Koyaiba swallowed, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door.

"Go away," Tsubaki called from inside. Koyaiba knocked again.

"You have to come out sometime!" He shouted through the door, knocking on it yet again. "Tsubaki, I just want to talk to you!" No response. "Tsubaki, if you don't open the door in ten seconds I'm going to break it down."

"You wouldn't dare," she said, her voice slightly muffled. "Just leave me alone. I don't want to talk to you."

Koyaiba shook his head and kicked the door in. The wood groaned and splintered, and Tsubaki let out an eep of surprise. Koyaiba threw his weight against the door and stumbled into Tsubaki's room, dusting some wood splinters off his shoulder.

Tsubaki was speechless. "You're paying for a new door."

"Nah," Koyaiba said. "Konoha is paying for everything damaged during the invasion. Sucks that Sand ninja broke down your door."

Tsubaki sniffed, and Koyaiba turned to get a good look at her. She was a wreck.

Tsubaki had never been the traditional sort of pretty. She was small and kind of mousy, with pale blond hair and eyes that were best described as muddy brown. She had always been sort of mousy too – she was small, a little drab. The best she could ever have aimed for was "cute", and that was only on her good days. But Koyaiba had never seen her like this.

Her hair was in complete disarray. Her eyes were bright red, which was only highlighted by the deep bags under them. Her nose was red too, and tissues littered the floor around her bed. A large bottle of rice wine sat on the nightstand next to her, with several similar looking bottles in the trashcan. She was curled up in bed, a large photo album lying open next to her.

Koyaiba swallowed again and sat down on the edge of the bed, looking at the photo album. It was him, Tsubaki and Daiyu right after they had graduated from the academy – they looked so young. Daiyu had his arm around both of them and Koyaiba was making a V for victory sign while Tsubaki proudly showed off the forehead protector wrapped around her head.

Tsubaki sniffed again. Koyaiba nodded slowly. "I know," he said softly. "I miss him too."

Tsubaki flung herself at him – her arms wrapped around his neck and she buried her face in his shoulder. Koyaiba could feel the tears dampen his shirt, but he just held her while she sobbed.

"I'm sorry," she said after a few minutes. She pulled away, sinking back into her bed. "I'm so sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry about," Koyaiba said, shaking his head. "When Rhea died…I wasn't much better."

"I know," Tsubaki said miserably. "I know, I know, I know, I meant to come visit you but things kept coming up, I had to prepare for the exam, and we were still getting ready for the…" she took a deep, shuddering breath. "For the…"

Koyaiba smiled sadly, eyes darting to the ring on her left hand. "I understand. I'm here Tsubaki."

"I just…" She said, sitting up and hugging her knees up to her chest. "I just feel like there's this hole there. And no matter what happens it's never going to go away."

Koyaiba bowed his head. "He was my best friend Tsubaki. I…_you're_ my best friend. And I…I hate seeing you like this. If there's anything I can-"

"No," she said firmly. "No, you shouldn't be worrying about me Koyaiba." She leaned over and rubbed the top of his head very slowly, like she had when they were younger, and he had shaved it for the first time. "Koyaiba, I'm so sorry. I've been over here crying like a baby and…he was your best friend, you knew him longer than I did, and Rhea…God Koyaiba, Rhea…"

Koyaiba nodded slowly. "Rika's new team got back from the Stone yesterday."

"Is she alright? She's ok right?"

"She's fine," he said. He had met with Rika yesterday – they had gotten drunk and reminisced and wondered if being Hokage had gotten the stick out of Hiashi's ass. It had been almost…normal.

He hadn't felt normal in a long time. "She helped me a little, I think. I hope. You're never gonna get over anything sitting in your room like this. What would Daiyu say if he saw you now?"

Tsubaki smiled slightly. "He'd ask me which train it was…and I'd ask him what he's talking about and he'd say 'the train that hit you in the face'."

Koyaiba chuckled. "Come on. I know what you need," he said, pulling her out of bed. "You need to get drunk. We're going out somewhere."

"Not like this I'm not," Tsubaki said, motioning towards her wrinkled outfit. "My hair…my face…I need to find my-"

"Nonsense," Koyaiba said, grabbing her and tossing her over his shoulder, fireman style. "You look fine."

"Koyaiba!" Tsubaki said, playfully hitting his back with her tiny fists. "Put me down! Put me dooooown!"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

At first, Hinata did not realize how much things would change.

It wasn't just a new robe and hat for her father – it wasn't even him staying out late more often than usual. The first time she had noticed the ANBU observing her, she was sure she had done something wrong. But as more and more time passed, and they never made a move, she realized that they weren't here to arrest her. They were here to protect her.

If possible, that frightened her even more. Hinata had never been a particularly frightened girl – at least not of normal things. She had never needed a nightlight, she killed her own spiders, and one of her favorite places in Konoha was atop the Hokage monument, high above the rest of the world.

It was people that scared her. Negi a lot, her father even more, but herself most of all. She was weak, and she had learned long ago that a weak person's best defense was to stay out of sight.

Even when she was nothing more than the Hyuga heiress, she had been a target. But now she was the Hokage's eldest daughter on top of that, and if there had been kidnapping attempts before they would only increase from here.

Ko told her that she was being foolish; that with ANBU watching her around the clock she'd never be in any danger. And as the days passed, the fear faded.

In some ways, her father being promoted to Hokage was the best thing that had ever happened to her. He rarely slept in the compound anymore, preferring to spend the nights in the recently rebuilt Hokage tower. (Hinata could not for the life of her understand how they had rebuilt it so fast – some people claimed that wood had sprouted from the earth, twisting itself to cover the portions of the tower destroyed in the attack) And she was able to work in the Hokage tower occasionally, filing paperwork and the like. It was relaxing, and easy, and every once and a while a nice psychologist named Minori would take her out for coffee. Hinata was quickly finding a second love in coffee – after she loaded it with cream and sugar first of course. She wasn't a _barbarian_.

And Minori was fun too. Hinata quickly learned she was the older sister of the dark skinned chunin that had proctored the exam. Their family history was fascinating. All of Minori's grandparents had gone rogue at roughly the same time, and they wound up raising their children (Minori's parents) together as they wandered the countryside. When Minori's mother had gotten pregnant with her, they had all moved to Konoha, but Minori's grandparents had died many years ago.

But the absolute best part of Hinata's part-time job was that sometimes she would see Naruto.

One incident stuck out in her mind specifically. It was only a few days after the invasion, and she had come early to get a head start on some paperwork. Naruto, flanked by Sasuke and Sakura, had barged in the minute the doors were open, arguing quietly with both of them. Hinata had said hi, but they were too busy arguing to notice. They had stormed upstairs, leaving Hinata embarrassed and with a strong curiosity.

She had flicked on her Byakugan just in time to see the trio vanish into her father's office (the Hokage's office was protected from things like the Byakugan. Her father could see out, but nobody could see in) a few minutes later they came out, and Hinata had been able to catch a few snippets of their conversation by reading their lips.

All Hyuga were taught lip-reading at an early age, and it was one of the few things Hinata was actually good at. Unfortunately, the odd angle meant she missed a lot of what was said, but she managed to get the gist of team 7's conversation.

"I knew (blank)-kun was right," Sakura said.

"There was (blank) related to (blank)," Sasuke said. " But I still can't believe you're actually his kid."

"Beats being a bastard, that's (blank)," Naruto said. "What should (blank)?"

"Whatever you want to do," Sakura suggested. "But (blank) secret for a reason. Maybe you shouldn't (blank) everyone."

"Sakura's probably right," Sasuke said. "For now, (blank) anyone. But if you (blank)…then it's your call."

Hinata would've given her right arm to know what they were talking about. Well, maybe not her right arm, but she'd give a lot.

Unfortunately, her father's new station had done nothing to ease his attitude. Towards her at least. He had actually visited Neji in the hospital, and the younger Hyuga had come to dinner that night looking more confused than Hinata had ever seen him before. Rumors were running rampant, but all that was _known_ was that Neji was occasionally training with Hiashi when the Hokage could find time.

Hinata was suddenly yanked back to reality as the bell attached to the front door rang. She looked up to see Neji walk through the door, swallowing nervously. He came up to the desk and looked at the paper she was filling out.

"Um…what are you doing?" He asked. His tone was kind enough, none of the harsh, biting tone with which he usually addressed her.

She licked her lips. "Paperwork."

He nodded. "Can you take a break? I want to talk to you."

"O-Of course," she said, pushing the paperwork to the side. "What do you need? I'm afraid Hiashi-sama…I'm sorry, Hiashi-dono is b-booked for today but I think tomorrow he's free."

"Neji shook his head. "I'm not here for Hiashi. I want to thank you."

Hinata frowned. "Thank me?"

"For saving me," he said quickly. "During the exams. I…A lot has changed since then. I haven't been entirely fair." He cleared his throat. "I know Hiashi doesn't teach you, but he teaches me. If you want, I could show you some of the things I'm learning."

Hinata's eyes widened. "R-really?" She paused. "I don't know if Hiashi-dono would approve."

Neji shook his head and turned around, walking to the door. When he got there, he turned back to face her. "A few years ago, I told you that fate could not be fought." He paused for a moment, as if struggling to find the right words. "I've found out a lot since then. About my father…and myself. My father fought his fate. It cost him his life, but he did it. I thought that you were destined to be a failure, but perhaps that is not the case." He pushed open the door. "It's worth a shot."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Kiba had never wanted to be included in the clan meetings. Hana loved them, and some of his younger cousins had been itching to get in on them since they were old enough to understand what they were. Truth be told, even Kiba had been fairly interested in them at first.

And then the elders had started allowing him to go. Halfway through his very first meeting and he was already bored to tears.

"Now then," said the clan head. Her dog, an old white great dane, watched the rest of the room carefully. Ninja dogs were large by default, but this one was simply enormous – the size of a horse at least. Kiba tried to figure out how they even fit him in there, but gave up. "It is time we moved onto our most pressing issue," the clan head continued, unaware of Kiba's wandering thoughts. "Hyuga Hiashi has been made the fifth Hokage. What does this mean for our pacl?"

"Since the Uchiha massacre," one elder said, "the Hyuga have held the position of Konoha's most influential clan. Now their leader is a Hokage. Nothing has changed."

"Don't be a fool," someone on the other side of the room said. "Everything has changed. Hiashi's appointment means the Hyuga heiress, whomever that may be, will take control on her sixteenth birthday instead of having to wait for Hiashi to die or relinquish control."

"Who is acting clan head?" Asked the woman with the great dane. "Now that Hiashi is Hokage, who leads the Hyuga?"

"Hiashi's father, Hyuga Hikaru," someone said. "Until the heiress comes of age, he is clan head."

The old woman nodded. "Yes, yes, that is the logical choice. Hikaru was a good leader. Hiashi was better, but that's why he's Hokage now." She chuckled. "Is there any way this can be used to the betterment of the pack?"

To Kiba's surprise, his mom stood. "I have an idea," she said. "Allow my son, Inuzuka Kiba, to marry the current Hyuga heiress."

If Kiba had had a drink, he would've spit it out. "What?"

"Hm?" The clan head said, ignoring Kiba. "We have many young boys ready to marry. Why should Kiba be chosen?"

"Yeah, exactly!" Kiba said. "Let Guro do it, he's always making cow eyes at Hinata."

"Quiet, Kiba," his mom said. "My son is on the same team as the Hyuga girl Hinata. They are friends, and she may be more inclined to trust him. And if the need arises, he can use her to get to her sister."

"Hanabi?" Kiba said, staggering. "There's gotta be some kind of law against that."

"Laws can be circumvented," the clan head said with a wave of her hand. "Betrothals can be made. This could benefit our pack greatly. Thank you, Tsume. May you howl long into the night."

"May you howl long into the night," the rest of the clan repeated. Kiba tried not to hurl.

"Don't look so sullen," his mom whispered to him. "Be a man. Sacrifices sometimes have to be made for the good of the pack."

"I can't marry Hinata!" Kiba shot back. "She's like a little sister to me!"

His mom shrugged. "Then marry Hanabi. She's more likely to inherit the title of clan head anyway."

"She's like seven," Kiba said.

"And you're twelve," his mom said with a glare. "Five years may seem like a lot to you now, but when you're older it won't matter as much. A betrothal is all we need right now anyway."

"Will the Hyuga even allow it?" Kiba asked. "I remember they outright refused to marry that Rhea girl off to some Akimichi last year."

"The Hyuga are…wary…of inter-clan marriages," his mom admitted. "Clans with a bloodline like that won't want an Inuzuka running around with their pride and joy, so their woman tend to marry clanless men or other Hyuga." Kiba made a face. "But we won't be taking Hanabi into our pack."

"We won't?" Kiba asked, face twisting up into an expression of confusion. "Then why the hell am I marrying her?"

His mom sighed. "Think about it Kiba. If you marry Hanabi and have a child, that child will be the next Hyuga heir, on top of being an honorary member of the Inuzuka pack. It brings the families closer together, and-"

"You want to merge our packs," Kiba said suddenly. "You want your great-grandkids to be running around on four legs with the Byakugan."

His mom shrugged. "That's part of it, yes. But what we really want is an Inuzuka with the Hokage's hat."

"I don't have to marry Hanabi to have that happen. Anyone can be elected Hokage."

"In theory," his mom admitted. "But in practice, it's different. The first Hokage was a Senju. The second Hokage was a Senju. The third Hokage was a Senju in all but name, and the fourth Hokage…well he was a special case. Our pack won't be producing someone like Minato any time soon. But now the torch has passed to Hyuga. What clan do you think the sixth Hokage will come from?"

Kiba frowned. "So you're saying Hokages are picked because they're family of the last Hokage?"

His mom held up her hands. "I'm not saying anything. I'm just noticing patterns. The closer we can get to the Hyuga, the better it will be in the long run. That," she said, turning back to the clan head, "is why you're marrying Hanabi."

Kiba groaned.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Try again Shino," his father said. Shino nodded, closing his eyes and holding his hand over his cousin's body. There was a quivering, a stirring of the dead flesh around his cousin's neck, and then nothing.

"Kyousuke named you to inherit his hive," his father repeated for what must've been the millionth time. "You must learn to master his final gift.

Shino nodded again. He understood what he had to do, but understanding something and actually doing it were two very different things. He held out his hand again and extended his consciousness towards his cousin's hive.

He could feel their presence on the edge of his mind, but whenever he pushed forward, to surround and envelope them, they resisted. He couldn't simply force his control over them – the process would fry their brains. They had to accept him.

It should've been easier than this. They shouldn't be so stubborn. Kyousuke had been younger, his bugs should not have been able to resists Shino's will. The Aburame genin had tamed much older bugs many times before. But this was…unusually difficult. "I can't do it," Shino said, lowering his arm. "Why can't I? I don't know. I wish to take some time to meditate and focus."

"Granted," his father said after a moment. "The Hive will begin to devour the body soon. We'll keep them contained in the hatchery until you're ready to claim them."

Shino nodded and retreated to his room. Like all of the rooms in the Aburame compound, it was dark and sparsely decorated – a small bedside table with various personal belongings sat next to a mat where Shino slept.

The Aburame compound had not been touched during the invasion, and for that Shino was thankful. As uncomfortable as it could be, this room was still his. It would feel odd sleeping in a commons tent.

Shino sat in the middle of his room, crossing his legs and reaching his mind out to touch the kikaichu in his Hive. They drifted out of the holes in his neck, slowly beginning to rotate around him in a complex pattern of shifting rings. A low buzz filled the room, and Shino felt all his worries and troubles slip away, replaced only by the calming, familiar buzz of his Hive.

He contemplated visiting the Shrine, but decided against it. It too was untouched by the invasion – his father claimed it was because the Old Gods protected the Shrine, but Shino had his own ideas. The Shrine troubled him sometimes. He had been speaking to Hinata about the various religions present in Konoha, and was slowly drawing his own theories about the metaphysical.

But that was neither here nor there. More than anything, he was worried about his inability to absorb Kyousuke's Hive. Perhaps the younger boy had not in fact intended for Shino to inherit it. Things like this were tricky business, but incredibly vital to the Aburame way of life.

He sighed slightly, and his Hive broke formation, swarming aimlessly around the room before returning to his body. He was tired. His back ached from moving heavy equipment all day, and he was acutely aware of the kikaichu sucking away his last bits of remaining chakra.

He yawned and slipped into bed. He would try absorbing Kyousuke's Hive again tomorrow. Maybe after a good sleep he'd have better luck.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

AN: Authors notes will hereby be found on my live journal. Link is on my profile page. Gallyrat, away!


	31. Actions and Consequences

**Reconstruction Part III**

_In which Ino and Chouji learn about growing up, and Shikamaru tries to apologize._

Ino had never been to a boy's house after midnight before.

Well, that wasn't quite true. She had been to Chouji's house a few times, or Shikamaru's. But she didn't really consider them boys in the traditional sense – and their three compounds were so close together that it barely counted as leaving her front yard.

Koyaiba's house was medium sized, and not too far from the Yamanaka compound. It hadn't taken long to get there. She raised a hand to knock on the door, but then stopped. She would wait for Chouji to arrive first.

He walked up beside her a few minutes later, red faced and panting. "I almost forgot," he admitted. "Have you knocked yet?" Ino shook her head, and Chouji stepped forward.

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

A few minutes passed, and nobody answered. "Am I going to have to get that?" Came Koyaiba's voice. Nobody answered. "For the love of…"

A few moments later, the door opened, revealing a very tired looking Koyaiba. "Chouji. Ino," he said. "It's after midnight. I still have a hangover. Get out." He tried to close the door, but Chouji managed to wedge his foot in between the door and the frame.

"I'm sorry Koyaiba," Chouji said, "but our parents said we have to do this now. Didn't they talk to you?"

Koyaiba blinked owlishly and hung his head. "Right. This." He sighed. "Give me half a second. I forgot." He turned to go and threw them an accusing look. "Am I seriously the only chunin you guys know?"

Ino shrugged. "There's Sakura…"

"Oh did she get promoted?" Koyaiba asked, vanishing behind a wall. "Good for her. The girls will handle her hazing." He reappeared a few moments later, fully dressed. "But she's still too new to handle stuff like this. Let's go." He started walking down the street, then turned and pointed at them. "Hold on. From this point on, you guys can't say a word. Understand? Not until I tell you that you can. Got it?"

Ino and Chouji nodded silently. Koyaiba seemed satisfied and walked ahead of them in silence, until coming upon an old, run down building. He pushed open the door, and Ino stepped inside to see an old bar.

The bartender, an old bald man with a silver beard and a stain on his shirt, nodded to Koyaiba. "Again?"

Koyaiba grinned sheepishly. "I have some genin. They uh…" he waved his hand. "You know the drill. Don't worry. I won't tell the cops."

The bartender nodded again, reaching under the table and pulling out three bottles of sake. Koyaiba grabbed his wallet and handed over some bills, then took the sake along with a few small glasses. "Thanks." He walked over to a table and sat down, motioning for Chouji and Ino to join him. They took seats across from him, watching him expectedly.

Koyaiba uncorked one bottle and poured it into the three glasses. "First things first," he said, raising his glass. "Cheers." He tossed the sake back, smacking his lips.

Ino shrugged and grabbed one glass, tossing back the sake like Koyaiba had. It burned her throat and she started coughing. She had had sake at parties before, but nothing this strong. Beside her, Chouji was coughing too.

Koyaiba chuckled. "Oh boy. Brings back memories." He tapped the bottle. "This is straight from the Land of Lightning kids. You wont find stronger shit than this anywhere else, and tonight," he said, putting one bottle in front of each of them, "you're drinking an entire bottle."

Ino felt her mouth go dry. _A whole bottle? _She thought to herself. She was never going to be able to finish that.

Koyaiba poured himself another drink. "You are going to be so fucked up by the end of this it's not even funny." He tossed back his second drink and sighed, leaning forward. "So," he said, his voice suddenly quiet. "You got your first kills."

Ino and Chouji nodded silently.

"You can talk now," he said. "Drink. Tell me how it happened."

Ino poured some of the sake from her bottle into her glass. "We were running through the streets. Everyone else was on the rooftops, so we figured we could get back to our compounds without much trouble." She hesitated for a moment, but Chouji was there, continuing the story for her.

"We were ambushed. Sound ninja. Two of them were really weak, and we knocked them out with a few punches and kicks, but the third actually knew jutsu. He knocked me off my feet with an Earth Release, and Ino charged him."

Ino nodded. "I jumped at him. He ducked, but I managed to catch him around the neck at the last minute, like he was giving me a piggyback. Chouji got up and came at him with a kunai, and I drew one too, and we…" she shuddered. "We stabbed him at the same time. I stabbed him from behind, and Chouji from in front. We're not sure which one killed him, but-"

"It amounts to the same thing," Koyaiba said. "He's still dead."

Ino and Chouji nodded solemnly. Koyaiba pointed towards their cups, and they drank. Ino decided that the sake wasn't all that bad, once you got past the burning in your throat.

"Look," Koyaiba said. "Killing isn't an easy thing to come to terms with. It shouldn't be an easy thing to come to terms with. You just ended another person's life. They might've had friends and family, a little girl or boy they were planning to go home to."

Ino sniffed. She wiped her cheek and was surprised to feel dampness. Koyaiba nodded at her.

"That's right. It isn't good. In all likelihood, it's _the hardest_ thing you will ever have to do for this village. And it doesn't get any easier." He had a drink, and Ino did the same. "In a way, you guys are lucky. Your first kill was a "hot" one."

"What does that mean?" Chouji asked. His voice was clear, not fuzzy from the sake, and Ino realized for the first time that his large size and voracious eating habits had advantages outside of combat.

"There are two types of kills," Koyaiba explained. "There's "cold", and there's "hot". Hot kills are done in the "heat" of battle. It's do or die – you kill because you have to, because the other person's not going to give you a choice. My first kill was hot too. It's a small comfort, knowing that you really to do it, but's it's a comfort." He smiled sadly. "Cold kills are when you have an enemy at your mercy. There's nothing he can do to hurt you, but you can't let him go. My teammate, Rika…her first kill was cold. She was different after that. Quieter." He shrugged. "She got better, somewhat. You can never really get better from that. Not completely. You're changed once you're a killer, for better or worse." He tossed back another drink, and Ino and Chouji followed suit. "Honestly, this is more my sister's area than mine. She's the one majoring in post traumatic stress disorder." He chuckled darkly. "There's never a lack of patients for that here, is there? Especially now. But I'm not like that, I just watch you…" he paused for a moment, blinking at them. "kuleles. I watch Ukuleles."

"Really?" Ino said. She was actually incredibly curious in Koyaiba's sudden interest in ukuleles, for reasons she couldn't quite understand. Her head was all fuzzy, but it was a pleasant kind of fuzzy. She had another drink, and Koyaiba grabbed his bottle, drinking some of the sake directly from it.

"Oh fuck me," he muttered. "I can't do this." He took a deep breath and had another sip though. "Just drink. Once you're done I'll take you home."

"We can walk ourselves," Ino said. She felt like her voice was somewhat slurred, but it didn't bother her.

Koyaiba found this immensely funny. "Yeah. I thought that too once," he said between laughs. "Nope. I walk you home, and all your clothes stay on."

"You know, this drinking thing is…" Ino said, fumbling for the right word, "is…pretty cool. We should do this more often." Beside her, Chouji nodded his agreement.

"I mean, we do," Koyaiba said, draining the last vestiges of sake from his bottle. "The kids from my year. We all get together once a month and like drink and…do stuff." He waved his hand around, and accidently knocked his now empty bottle to the floor.

"We should do that," Chouji said, laying his head down on the table. "Right after a nap."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Shikamaru awoke to stifling heat.

"What's going on?" He muttered to nobody in particular. His house never got this hot, not even in the summer. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, and the mattress beneath him was damp. He groaned and resolved to figure out what was happening after he took a shower. With any luck, his house would be back to it's normal temperature by then, and he could go back to sleep.

Unfortunately for him, it was not. "The air conditioning is broken," his mom said when he questioned her about it. "Stop complaining and make yourself useful."

Shikamaru slunk out of the house through the backdoor, intent on making the most of his break. He had been working like a dog lately, doing his best to rebuild Konoha, and he just wanted to sit back, relax, and watch the clouds.

Unfortunately, the universe seemed determined to deny him his favorite past times. The sky was gray and overcast, a solid sheet of depressing gloom in gaseous form.

Shikamaru sighed. He could still hang out with Chouji.

But when he called on his best friend the usual way – lazily chucking pebbles at Chouji's window – the only response he got was a muffled "Go away," and "Stop trying to break my house down, Shika."

Shikamaru moped around for a bit after that, and considered looking around for Asuma, but then remembered his sensei was currently on a mission. He finally got so bored he actually sought Ino out, but he got no better a response from the blond haired girl than he had his best friend.

"Aw man," he said, looking up at the infuriatingly grey sky. "There is nothing to do." He put his right hand in his pocket, and was surprised when it brushed against something.

He pulled out a crinkled piece of paper and smoothed it out. At the top, it read: To Do List. He vaguely remembered making one a few days ago to satisfy his mom, but he thought he had thrown it away. Numbers one through four were "look at the clouds" numbers five and six were "avoid Ino."

Number seven however, read: "Apologize to Hinata."

Shikamaru frowned. He never had gotten the chance to apologize to her, had he? Hinata didn't know him that well – she knew he was lazy, everyone knew that, but she probably didn't know the sheer level of laziness he could reach to when pushed. If she looked at his forfeit in the wrong light, she could really view him as a malicious asshole that forfeited just to embarrass her.

Hinata didn't seem like the type of girl who would think that, but you never knew. It was always the quiet ones you had to watch out for, and women were troublesome even when they were loud. Ino was a prime example.

So yes. Best to go and apologize now, save himself some trouble later. He wandered towards the Hyuga compound, peering through the bars of the high iron gates. "Hello?" He called into the empty courtyard. "Anybody home?"

"Whassup?" Came a voice from above him. Shikamaru looked up to see a Hyuga ninja in a chunin vest sitting on top of the wall, chewing on an apple.

"I'm here to see Hinata," he called up.

"She's not here," the Hyuga said with a bored look. "She's training."

Shikamaru nodded his thanks and walked off towards the training grounds. He'd probably have to deal with the rest of her team – Shino wasn't that bad but Kiba could be troublesome. He'd just duck in; explain the situation to Hinata, and leave. Maybe by the time he was finished Chouji would be up and ready to do something. Still, dealing with her teammates would be…he didn't even have to say it.

But when Shikamaru arrived at the training ground, Hinata was not training with Kiba and Shino. Instead, it was Neji standing across from her, shifting her feet slightly, explaining that _this _chakra point reacted better when hit from _that_ angle, and so and so forth.

Even more surprising than Neji and Hinata training together was the team lounging next to them. Team 7 was lying idly in the grass, talking and eating and watching Hinata train. Naruto was shouting words of encouragement to Hinata, which of course only made the girl perform worse – Shikamaru felt a sharp stab of pity. But that wasn't what was surprising – it was that nobody on Team 7 was trying to kill each other.

Shikamaru had learned several things about the dynamics between his classmates. He wasn't a people person, but Ino was, and Ino talked all the time, and he was smarter than Ino. What should be happening when putting Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura together in one space simply was not happening.

Instead of bugging Sasuke or getting the crap beaten out of him by Sakura, Naruto was enjoying some Ramen noodles. And instead of bugging Sasuke or beating the crap out of Naruto, Sakura was poring over a complicated sealing array. And instead of getting bugged by both Naruto and Sakura simultaneously (a fate Shikamaru wouldn't have wished on any man) Sasuke was patiently explaining to Naruto why the Sharingan was in every way superior to the Byakugan. In a very loud voice.

Shikamaru could almost see Neji's frustration.

"Oh yeah of course," Naruto practically shouted, throwing a quick glance at Neji to make sure the Hyuga was listening. "I'd much rather be able to memorize techniques really fast than just see people's chakra."

"Actually, we can do that too," Sasuke admitted. "All chakra is colored for us."

Naruto paused and sat thinking for a moment. "Then…why is there even a Byakugan?" He asked, a look of intense confusion on his face. Sasuke shrugged in response.

Shikamaru noticed Neji's fingers twitching and chuckled. "Looks like a party out here."

"Shikamaru!" Naruto said. "What are you doing out here? I'm just about the kick Sasuke's ass in Taijutsu practice!"

"You wish," Sasuke said, laying on his back and looking up the sky.

"I won last time!" Naruto shot back.

"Because I let you use Shadow Clones, moron. And then they threw a tree at me. Which was against the rules."

"He threw a-" Shikamary glanced towards the far end of the training field and saw a large tree lying on the ground, roots still caked in fresh dirt. "Wow. That's-"

"Typical Naruto," Sakura said without looking up from her book.

"Shikamaru shrugged. "I guess so." He turned to talk to Naruto, but the orange clad genin was already fighting Sasuke, each ducking under and returning the others' blows. "Hinata," he said, walking up to the girl. "Can I talk to you?"

Hinata nodded politely. "Of course, Shikamaru-san."

Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck. "Look, I wanted to apologize. About the exam. It wasn't my intention to make you look bad, I'm just…" he shrugged. "Lazy. But I didn't mean you any disrespect."

Hinata nodded. "Of course, Shikamaru-san. I know that."

Shikamaru grinned. "Well, good. Just wanted to make sure. You fought well."

Hinata blushed. "Thank you."

"Hinata is too kind to you," Neji said suddenly. Shikamaru gave him a questioning look.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean what I said," Neji said simply. "Hinata knows you meant no disrespect, but that does not make her situation any better."

"What situation?" Naruto asked suddenly. Shikamaru glanced over to see him nursing a large purple bruise on his forearm while Sasuke struggled with a few dozen clones.

Hinata pressed her fingers together. "I-It's nothing. N-N-Neji-nii-san is b-being-"

Neji cut her off. "Hiashi," he said to Naruto. "My uncle, her father, the clan head, the Hokage. He and Hinata didn't exactly have a good relationship before, but now it's worse than ever. Thanks to you," he said, glaring at Shikamaru.

Shikamaru swallowed. "I didn't know-"

"Of course you didn't," Neji said. "How could you? But that doesn't change the facts."

"Wait, so what's exactly wrong with your dad and you?" Naruto asked. He looked over towards Sasuke, who was finishing off the last of the clones, and put his hands together. "Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu."

Instantly, upwards of 50 clones surrounded Sasuke. "Oh come on!" The Uchiha boy shouted, ducking under several dozen simultaneous punches.

"He's really pushing himself today. Normally he's used Ninjutsu right now," Naruto said, turning back to Hinata. "Anyway, what's wrong with you and your dad?"

"I-It's nothing. R-really," Hinata said, blushing and shoving her fingers together. "He is simply…very stern. He h-has high expectations of me, and I…d-do not always make him proud."

Naruto scoffed. "That's bullshit," he said, ignoring Hinata's tiny flinch at the swear. "You did great at the exams Hinata. Maybe your dad's standards are too high."

Hinata's face flushed a deep crimson and she exploded into muttering while Neji smiled slightly. "That could be it," he said. "Come on Hinata, we still have a lot of work to do. Your strikes are flat, you need more _feeling_ in them…" he and Hinata resumed sparing, Naruto watching them with a grin. Shikamaru wondered how anybody could be that oblivious. Of course, this was _Naruto_. What kind of self-respecting ninja wore _orange?_

"Whatever," Shikamaru said, turning back towards his house. "I'm gonna try and get some sleep."

"Hey, Shikamaru," Sakura said. Shikamaru glanced towards the pink haired kunoichi, who was still sprawled out on the ground. "Ino was talking to me last night," Sakura continued. "She sounded pretty drunk, but kept going on and on about all us rookies getting together and hanging out maybe a week from now. I already talked to these guys about it. You interested."

Shikamaru shrugged. "Maybe."

"See you there then!" Sakura said happily, turning back to her sealing array. Shikamaru rolled his eyes but said nothing. His life was way too peaceful right now. Something crazy was going to happen soon, he could feel it in his gut.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's note can once again be found on my live journal, linked in my profile. Hope you enjoyed!


	32. Anger

**Reconstruction Part IV**

_In which everything that has been building up comes to a point_

Chouji pulled the edges of the white picnic blanket, vainly trying to straighten out the seemingly infinite wrinkles. Beside him, Ino dropped a heavy basket of food, grinning.

"Twenty minutes Chouji. Is everything ready?" She asked. Chouji inspected their set up carefully. They had settled down in a small clearing at the top of the Hokage monument – walk thirty yards to the right and you were treated to an absolutely gorgeous view of Konoha's expansive forests. A large white blanket was draped over the ground of the clearing, with plenty of food and drink laid out on top of it. Chouji's mouth began to water just looking at it, but Ino smacked him lightly on the back of the head and he regained his senses.

"I think so," he said, counting the baskets of food they had laid out. "What's that?" he asked, pointing to the basket Ino had just carried in.

The blonde kunoichi smiled wickedly and lifted a bottle of sake. "Straight from the Land of Lightning. We are going to get fucked up Chouji."

Chouji moaned. "I don't like getting fucked up." The morning after his first drink had been a living hell – he had sworn off alcohol forever after realizing that he couldn't even chew without his head trying to commit suicide via implosion.

"Yeah, well someone else might," Ino said carefully laying the rest of the sake out on the blanket. "Besides, Kiba's been bragging for years that he has a natural immunity to alcohol and I plan to prove him wrong tonight."

Chouji rolled his eyes. "Whatever makes you happy," he said. He had learned a long time ago that when Ino had her mind made up, it was easiest to let her have her way. Someday, Inoichi would have to answer to him and Shikamaru about the correct way to raise a child. Ino smiled smugly and went back to putting the finishing touches on everything.

Unsurprisingly, Naruto was the first one to arrive, grinning ear to ear. Sasuke was trailing behind him, his face a mask of indifference.

"Sasuke-kun!" Ino said, immediately sidling up next to the Uchiha boy. "You're early! Did you come to see me?"

"No," Sasuke said, causing Ino to stick out her lower lip a little. "I came because Naruto wouldn't shut up about it."

"Ooooh, sake!" Naruto exclaimed suddenly. "Where did you guys get this?"

"None of that yet," Ino said, snatching the sake from Naruto's hands. "At least wait until everyone's here before you start drinking yourself senseless." Chouji personally thought that was a good idea – the thought of a drunk Naruto filled him with an odd sense of dread.

Naruto looked like he wanted to argue about it, but he was interrupted by Kiba coming into the clearing, flanked by Shino. Akamaru was riding on his head, and the tiny dog gave a happy yip as the food came into view.

"Alright!" Kiba said with a grin, one hand absently tracing the new scars on his face. "Let's get this party started!"

"Hey Kiba," Chouji said, picking up a bag of chips and tearing into it. "Where's Hinata? I thought she was coming with you."

"She was," Shino said. "However, Sakura wished to speak with her before coming to the party, for reasons we are not fully aware of."

"Psh, what's forehead-chan want with Hinata?" Ino asked.

Shino tilted his head in a way that generally indicated confusion. "I just said we are not aware of her reasoning…did you not hear?"

"No, it was…" Ino rolled her eyes. "Forget it. Let's just start the party."

It didn't take much longer for Sakura and Hinata to show up. Sakura had pulled her hair back into a messy bun and was wearing a chunin vest on top of her normal red dress, but otherwise looked like she always had. Hinata though, looked…different. Chouji spent a good ten minutes trying to figure out what was off before he realized that Hinata was wearing makeup. Not a lot, but enough to make a noticeable difference.

Once Chouji had realized that, it was easy to see what else was off. She was whispering frantically to Sakura, every once and a while throwing a terrified glance towards Naruto (who was busy seeing how many stacked cups he could balance on his head, much to Kiba's delight) Finally Sakura got a very annoyed look on her face and simply shoved the Hyuga heir towards Naruto. The two collided and fell to the ground in a tangle of limbs and cups. Kiba and Naruto burst out laughing, and Hinata went beet-red, her face frozen in an expression of mortification.

Chouji rolled his eyes. This would end one of two ways, and Chouji wasn't sure he was looking forward to either of them. He turned around to see Shikamaru coming up the path to the clearing, his hands stuck in his pockets.

"Hey 's going on?" Shikamaru asked.

"Sakura's trying to do the impossible and get Hinata to confess to Naruto," Chouji said.

"Or get Naruto to notice Hinata," Shikamaru said. "Though I guess that's equally impossible."

"I don't know," Shino said. Chouji and Shikamaru looked up to see Kiba, Shino and Sasuke walking over to them, leaving an increasingly flustered Hinata alone with Naruto, who was still grinning like an idiot. "Naruto has become increasingly competent since graduation. I wouldn't be surprised if he managed to notice Hinata's affection."

Sasuke scoffed. "Believe me, he's not any less stupid than he was in the academy. He's just better at hiding it."

"Sasuke's right. Look at him," Shikamaru said, pointing back to Naruto. He and Hinata had sat down side by side on the blanket, and the orange clad genin currently had one arm around the Hyuga heiress' shoulder in an attempt to grab the food on the other side of her. Chouji hadn't been aware that it was possible for someone's face to go that red – Hinata was probably setting a new world record. "He's never going to figure it out," Shikamaru continue. "Unless we tell him."

"No way," Kiba said, shaking his head. "It's Hinata's choice. If she wants him to know, she'll tell him."

"She's never going to," Sasuke said. "I agree with Shikamaru. I'm sick of watching this. Let's just tell him and get it over with."

"It's painful to watch," Shikamaru said. "You have to admit that. Like watching a puppy drowning."

Akamaru covered his eyes with one paw and let out what Chouji interpreted as the doggy equivalent of a terrified whimper.

"Hey!" Kiba said, raising his arms and putting his hands over Akamaru's ears. "ix-Nay the uppies-Pay owning-Dray." He looked over to Shino. "Help me out here."

"Kiba's right," Shino said with a single shake of his head. "As much as I would like to end this little game it is not our decision to make. Hinata's personal life is her own property, and we have no right to interfere with it."

"Chouji?" Shikamaru said, turning to his best friend. "We're tied. It's you call."

Chouji shook his head. "No. Leave me out of this. I don't want anything to do with it."

"Chouji," Shikamaru said, pointing at Naruto and Hinata. "Look at it. Puppies. Drowning."

Akamaru whimpered again. "Stop talking about dying puppies!" Kiba shouted. "You're upsetting Akamaru!" This drew odd looks from about everyone in earshot, and Kiba awkwardly ducked his head. "Never mind."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Sakura wasn't sure where she and Ino stood on the whole friendship thing.

On the one hand, they had barely spoken since she had declared her intention to chase after Sasuke all those years ago. When they had talked it had been mostly insults.

But then a few nights ago, Ino had showed up outside her window. She was very obviously drunk, but she said some things that made Sakura wonder if the way she had been acting towards her former friend had been overkill.

Ino had basically told her that she was embarrassed that she had let a boy get in between them like Sasuke had and that she missed her friend, the one with the big forehead and the pretty pink hair. She had said that when Sakura had beaten Kin in the exam preliminaries, she had actually cheered before realizing what she was doing. She had said that Chouji and Shikamaru were good friends, all things considered, but she missed being able to talk about girl things with someone other than her cousins.

Then she had mentioned the idea of a party and passed out on Sakura's floor. Sakura had put her in her (Sakura's) own bed and slept on the couch in her room – by the time she woke up the next morning Ino was nowhere to be seen.

To be honest, Sakura had agreed with much of what Ino had said. She had forgotten what being friendless was like – in her mind, Sasuke (and even Naruto) were nothing short of incredible for their ability to exist without friends.

Well, Naruto had had Chouji and Kiba, but only rarely. Sasuke had had absolutely nobody, but seemed to thrive on isolation, a skill Sakura would've given her arm for. Being lonely had no appeal to her, none at all.

Still, Sakura wasn't sure if Ino even remembered what she had done that night. She had seemed pretty out of it, and Sakura didn't want to make things even more awkward than they already were by bringing up something Ino regretted.

So after she pushed Hinata into Naruto, Sakura stood alone, awkwardly drinking some tea by herself and watching the boys argue amongst themselves. Sometimes she wished she were a boy. Everything would be so much _easier _then.

"So…uh…Sakura."

Sakura turned to see Ino standing next to her, sipping some tea of her own. The blonde haired ninja seemed nervous, which was an unusual sight to see – Sakura couldn't remember the last time Ino had been nervous. She was always filled to the brim with confidence, not just in herself, but in others. Sometimes it was infuriating, but sometimes it was nice, knowing someone believed in you like that.

"Ino," Sakura said, nodding. "I like the party. Naruto and Hinata seem to be hitting it off."

Ino chucked into her tea. "Hitting. I saw what you did there, forehead-chan. Smooth move. If I had known years ago that all that could've been solved with a shove…"

"You would've done it a lot sooner?" Sakura asked, finishing Ino sentence for her. "Tell me about it." She smiled slightly. It felt nice, talking to Ino again. About girl stuff. She hadn't talked about girl stuff with anyone for a long time. Except Hinata, but that was more teaching than talking.

"They're so cute together!" Ino said, her smile widening. "Look at her blush. I wish I could blush like her. She looks all confused and coy and I just look stupid."

"Not as stupid as me," Sakura said, chuckling. "Red face and pink hair? Disaster."

Ino laughed. She opened her mouth to reply, but stopped and turned around at a sudden noise.

"Ahem."

Sakura turned too. Standing behind them, flanked by a pair of ANBU, white cloak flapping in the wind, pointed hat resting delicately on his head, was Hyuga Hiashi, fifth Hokage of the hidden leaf.

_Oh wow._

The others turned their heads, all suddenly quiet and alert. The Hokage arched an eyebrow, sweeping his gaze over their little set up. "Alcohol," he said, his tone neutral. "I shouldn't be surprised."

He stalked forward, and Sakura had to admit that he looked every bit the dignified leader in those robes. "Hinata," he said (he even had the voice down, a stern _crack_ of a voice that demanded attention) "I thought I made it clear that I did not want you unduly associating with your… he cast a criticizing eye over the rest of the genin "classmates."

Hinata flushed bright scarlet, and suddenly it didn't look so cute. "I w-was just…I was-"

"I don't care what you were doing," Hiashi said, turning his back to her. "Come. Follow me." Hinata stood, beginning to fall in step behind him, but Naruto grabbed her wrist and pulled her down, standing up in her place.

Hiashi tilted his head ever so slightly and turned back to face Naruto. "Yes?"

"You can't just make Hinata go back with you!" Naruto said his voice high pitched and angry, "she can stay if she wants! Just because you're Hokage now doesn't mean you get to control her like that!"

"On the contrary," Hiashi said. His voice was low and monotone, but had an edge of steel to it. "I am her Father, and can force her to return home if I so wish."

"Why?" Naruto demanded. "What's the point? Hinata's not doing anything wrong! The Third wouldn't have done something like this!"

"I am not the Third," Hiashi said curtly. "I suggest you watch your tongue, Uzumaki. Hinata, to me."

"Don't. Move. Hinata." Naruto said, clenching his teeth. Hinata didn't move, but probably more because she was paralyzed with fear than anything else. Sakura had nearly swallowed her tongue, and the rest of the genin had similar expressions of disbelief on their faces. "What you're doing here," Naruto said, addressing Hiashi, "Isn't being Hokage. It's being a bully!" He pointed an accusatory finger at the Hokage, and Sakura noticed he was actually trembling with rage.

The two ANBU began to silently move forward, but Hiashi twitched a finger and they stopped.

"Being Hokage is more than just being strong!" Naruto shouted. "Iruka and the Third told me that, but I didn't really believe it…until now," he said. "Being Hokage means loving the people you rule over. And caring about them!" He continued, and Sakura was surprised to see the beginnings of tears in his eyes. "And you're doing here…it proves that you don't!" He clenched his hands in a fist. "And if you try and tell Hinata what to do, I'll…" he took a deep breath. "I'll fight you!"

Time seemed to stand still. Everyone in the clearing, minus perhaps Hiashi, jerked in surprise. Even the ANBU seemed caught off guard, pulling back a little before moving forward again, faster this time. Another twitch from Hiashi and they retreated, albeit hesitantly.

"Think," Hiashi said. "About who you're speaking to."

"I know exactly who I'm talking to." Naruto said. "A dad who doesn't care that he's being too hard on someone who's working their ass off to impress him! She's been training every day trying to live up to your expectations, but do you care? No! Do you even notice? No! Well I'm sick of it!" He roared. "Come on. Take another step. I…I dare you."

Sasuke stepped forward, nonchalantly cracking his knuckles. "I'm with Naruto," he said.

For a moment, Naruto looked confused. "Really? Wh- I mean yeah!" he said, sticking out his chin. "Of course he is!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You're living in my house. I think that makes me responsible for you. Besides," he said, fixing Hiashi with his best death glare. "Parents who ignore their kid _deserve_ a good beating."

Sakura felt Ino move forward, and stood in dumbfounded amazement as her friend joined Naruto and Sasuke. "Hinata's my friend too," she said, her voice shaky. "You…you'll have to go through me."

"Well she's our teammate!" Kiba shouted, rushing forward to join the small wall of bodies. "Team 8 looks out for their own! Isn't that right Shino?"

"I couldn't have said it better myself," Shino said, his skin buzzing and rippling in a vaguely disturbing fashion.

"I guess that's us too," Chouji said, stepping forward, half dragging Shikamaru with him. "We're all Hinata's friends."

"Yeah," Sakura heard herself say. "You want her? You'll…have to get through us."

The ANBU began to move again, but Hiashi slashed his hand through the air and once again they backed off. "Very well," he said, removing his hat and handing it to one of the ANBU. "What is it the genin are saying nowadays? Bring it."

And then he moved.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Before Naruto could react, Hiashi had buried his palm in Shikamaru's chest. The Nara genin's face flashed briefly with surprise before the force of the blow threw him through the air and into a tree behind him.

"He removed the binder first," Sasuke said, his eyes flashing crimson. "He'll go for the genjutsu – Sakura – next."

Sure enough, Hiashi vanished in another blur of speed and Sakura crumpled. By now Naruto had pressed his hands together and summoned two-dozen clones, who all transformed into identical copies of the genin not yet down. "Get 'im!" Naruto roared, and the clones charged Hiashi with headlong abandon.

The Hokage didn't even bother to engage, simply weaved in between several attacks with a speed Naruto found unreal. He ducked low and lashed a leg out, clipping one Ino in the head – the girl crumpled to the ground but didn't vanish, meaning he had gotten the real one.

"Eye for detail," Hiashi said, coming to a pause and raising his hands in a fighting stance. "Don't try and trick me Uzumaki. Fight."

The remaining clones let out another battle cry and charged, flailing at Hiashi wildly. But he danced around each attack like they were nothing more than gusts of wind, striking with unnerving speed and precision. In mere instants the clones were gone, but Naruto had already summoned up a second wave.

Suddenly one Naruto enlarged and began rolling to Hiashi, and Naruto realized that Chouji had henged into one of his clones. Hiashi didn't seem confused however, and sidestepped the charge, meeting Sasuke with a flurry of blows.

The Uchiha genin, aided by his Sharingan, was actually able to counter one or two blows, albeit barely. The third caught him in the chin and flung him backwards. Naruto saw the crimson in his friend's eyes fade, replaced by black, and Sasuke cursed.

There was a sudden shout as Kiba and Akamaru tore through the air, dual twisters with enough force to make Naruto's teeth chatter. Hiashi pivoted and began to expel chakra from his palms – similar to what Negi had done during the chunin exams, but more refined. Akamaru and Kiba simply bounced off of Hiashi's defenses, each ripping up the ground they hit. Hiashi stalked forward and grabbed Shino by the collar, pivoting and hurling the Aburame into Chouji, who was preparing another meat tank. The two fell to the ground and Hiashi whipped one leg up into the air. His heel caught Kiba, who was working his way to his feet from his knees, in the chin, and he crumpled to the ground.

Akamaru, glowing red with chakra, let out a howl and lunged towards Hiashi in an attempt to avenge his partner, but Hiashi caught the dog by the throat. In mid-air. His hand flashed with blue chakra and Akamaru let out a whine, his fur shifting from red to white.

Naruto and Sasuke traded startled looks, but Naruto simply brought his hands together again. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Flanked by upwards of three dozen clones, Naruto and Sasuke charged Hiashi, who actually seemed mildly impressed by the sheer number of clones Naruto had managed to summon. He deflected their blows with contemptuous ease, and then slammed a palm into each other their guts. Naruto and Sasuke simultaneously collapsed to their knees, the small army of clones vanishing in a puff of smoke.

"That…"Naruto said, his cheek resting against the damp grass, "didn't work out too well."

Sasuke grunted and struggled to his knees, grabbing Naruto by the back of the collar and helping him up. The two genin sat their for a second, regarding the mostly unconscious bodies of their classmates around them.

Hiashi wasn't paying attention to them anymore. Instead he had turned back to Hinata, his face impassive. "Come," he said. "This game is over."

Hinata took a deep, shuddering breath, and squeaked: "N-No."

Hiashi frowned, a look of bewilderment passing over his face for the briefest of instants before his true feelings were buried under his usual mask. "That was not a question, Hinata."

"I-I know," Hinata replied. She shuffled her feet into what could vaguely be called a fighting stance. "But I don't w-want to go." She shook her head rapidly back and forth and extended her arms. "And if my f-friends can fight you for me…I c-can fight for myself." She took another deep breath. "And I am tired…Of being pushed…around!"

She charged.

Hinata took a flying leap into the air, her arm extended, the veins around her eyes bulging. She hit the ground in front of her father and struck out, but the attack was turned aside by Hiashi, who parried with his own palm thrust.

Hinata blocked it with a quickness and confidence that looked almost out of place on the young Hyuga, launching into a series of quick strikes and dodges. Her movements flowed together so naturally it looked more like a dance than any kind of fighting technique, as she spun and whirled and struck at the unmovable stone that was her father. Hiashi rarely retaliated, but when he did it was with quick, brutal strikes that threatened to disrupt all off Hinata's movements – but the girl simply ducked or waved or blocked and continued on her way as if nothing had happened.

Finally, Hiashi tired of the game. He caught his daughter's wrist and bent it around until she let out a cry of pain, then pressed two fingers against the inside of her wrist. Hinata went limp, and when he let go of her, she fell to her knees.

Hiashi did nothing for a moment, simply stood there, breathing, regarding his daughter with a cold eye. Then, finally, he spoke.

"All clans," he said, "have traditions. Have rituals that they must undergo in order to gain power." Hinata looked up at him, her face confused, but said nothing. "The Uchiha must face their fears in order to unlock their gift, and go through great pain in order to further advance it. This much is known, but the details are not." He paused to look at Sasuke, who glowered back. "The Aburame, when they are of age, must conquer their Hive in order to truly gain control of the bugs that reside within them. The Inuzuka must live with their dog for years, until their minds are almost one. The Akimichi must train their bodies, the Yamanaka their minds, and the Nara their souls, so that they may manipulate them freely." He paused again, to let it sink in. "The Hyuga are no different. Though we are born with our gift, we must suffer in order to truly use it. In that way, we are like our cousins, the Uchiha." Another glance towards Sasuke. "Like an Uchiha must know fear, A Hyuga must know anger."

Hinata swallowed. "What do you mean?"

"Anger, aggression, _feeling_," Hiashi said. "It is vital to the correct use of the Gentle Fist. To truly be great, a Hyuga must _want_ to hurt somebody." He bent down, so that he face was level with his daughter's, and gently cupped her cheek. "Chakra is not a tool Hinata. It is a part of us. It feels with us. If you do not believe – truly believe in what you are doing, you will find it much more difficult to succeed." He sighed. "All Hyuga have their day, when they realize this. For me, it was the day I first sparred with Namikaze Minato, who would later become the Fourth Hokage."

Naruto's throat tightened. _Dad_.

"For my brother, Hizashi," Hiashi continued, "It was when he realized that we were not equals, as we had always believed. Your cousin, Neji…his day was when his father died." Hiashi stood and turned, and for a moment Naruto thought he saw some dampness on his cheek. "For Hanabi, it was being bullied on her first day at the academy. And for you…it was today. With me." He smiled slightly. "Fitting, I suppose. You always were too understanding for your own good Hinata. You were too much like your mother that way." He motioned to the two ANBU, who tossed him his hat and vanished in twin puffs of smoke. "I'll expect you at dinner tonight," he said, putting on his hat. "You'll sit on my right. Do not be late."

And then he walked off.

They all sat there for a few minutes, saying nothing. Naruto had the distinct feeling that he had just witnessed something tremendously important to Hinata, but he couldn't for the life of his figure out what it was.

"Hey," he said, turning to Sasuke. "Would you really have gone to jail with me?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I guess. Why not? I have all the keys."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

AN: Livejournal for my thoughts. Hope you're all still enjoying!


	33. Vanish

Koyaiba sat nervously in front of Konoha's fifth Hokage, doing his best not to fall asleep on the spot.

His head was pounding from…something he had done last night, he couldn't remember too clearly. He really needed to lay off the alcohol – any more nights like that and he'd probably die of liver failure.

Finally, Hiashi spoke. "Your resume is…surprisingly impressive for one so young," he said, his eyes darting back and forth across Koyaiba's file. "Graduated with decent grades, but quickly proved yourself to be an effective leader, getting your team past the first two stages of the chunin exams after several failed attempts. You-"

Sir, with all due respect, that wasn't really me," Koyaiba interrupted. "I was only appointed team leader when Rhea stepped down. And we were strong enough to get to the third stage before we actually did, but there were…complications."

Hiashi nodded. "Fair enough," he said. "Still, your work with the Third was turned up some interesting information on our young genin. Though I can't help but notice," he said, eyeing Koyaiba, "that your first assignment was none other than my daughter and nephew."

Koyaiba swallowed. "Yes, well-"

"I assume that you conducted your observations during the dinner you had with our family a few months ago," Hiashi cut in, "and I'm finding that your analysis was surprisingly accurate for one short dinner."

Koyaiba bowed his head slightly. "Thank you, Hokage-dono."

Hiashi waved his hand dismissively. "Surprising. That is the word that describes you, Kohinata." He met Koyaiba's eyes for the first time this conversation, and Koyaiba had to fight the urge to look away. "I believe we can use that. We suffered heavy losses during Sound's attack, as you very well know. If we are to survive, we will have to use every asset this village has as efficiently as possible. That means making special use of people like you."

"Of course, Hokage-dono."

Hiashi regarded him cooly. "I am forced to notice that despite you being assigned to a psychoanalysis mission, you have no formal training in psychology. I intend to remedy this as soon as possible."

Koyaiba frowned. "I can take classes whenever you want, but-"

Hiashi raised a hand, and Koyaiba fell silent. "I'm not talking about classes," he said. "Koyaiba, before we go any further, I'm going to have to demand you be sealed."

Koyaiba's frown deepened. "Sealed?"

"Yes," Hiashi said, "you see, some of the information I'm about to divulge is highly confidential. You will be required to receive a small seal on your tongue that will stop you from revealing said information. You are asked not speak of this seal, though you are not prevented from doing so. You'd be surprised how many jonin and even chunin have similar ones, though yours will be slightly more complex than the standard one."

"Um," Koyaiba said, "uh, if it's nothing unusual, I suppose I don't see anything wrong with it."

"Excellent," Hiashi said, standing. "Follow me then."

Koyaiba stood and followed the Hokage down a long flight of stairs that seemed to extend far beyond ground level. "First things first," Hiashi said as they walked. "You are aware of the abilities of the Yamanaka clan?"

"Of course," Koyaiba said. "Telepathy, mind control, etc."

"Correct," Hiashi said. "However, over the years, the Yamanaka have developed several more refined mental techniques which have been largely hidden from the rest of the village. One of which is a technique commonly referred to as 'dumping'.

"Dumping," Hiashi continued, "is usually performed when a Yamanaka is dying. He or she can transfer his or her memories and experiences to another person, usually another Yamanaka. This means that the knowledge and skill of a Yamanaka is not lost through death." He paused as they reached a door covered in complex seals, and calmly pressed a hand to the center of the door. The seals shifted slightly, and the door swung open. 

"Normally, the personality of a Yamanaka is dumped along with the rest of their memories," Hiashi said, leading Koyaiba down a long corridor. "The personality is usually overcome by the body's original inhabitant, though this is not always the case. The Second Hokage based his immortality jutsu off this technique actually."

"So, what?" Koyaiba asked. "I'll just sort of have this person in my head with me?"

"No," Hiashi said. "You're a test case. In previous attempts, dumping into a non-Yamanaka has gone rather poorly." Koyaiba was about to respond, but Hiashi opened another door, and Koyaiba was suddenly treated to a view of a large medical room. Several doctors were milling around, talking in low tones and pointing at things.

"I have him," Hiashi said to a particularly small doctor. "Take him to the patient."

"Right away, Hokage-dono," the doctor said with a curt nod. He grabbed Koyaiba's arm and dragged him through a maze of passageways to a room that was nearly completely empty except for two beds. On one was a middle aged Yamanaka woman – she looked quite pale and was gripping the edge of the bedrail.

"Is he ready?" She asked. Her voice was very hoarse, and quiet – Koyaiba could barely hear her.

"He is," the doctor said. "Take off your shirt and lie down on that bed please Koyaiba," he said, pointing to the bed next to the woman. "I'll wheel her over to you."

Koyaiba nodded, taking off his shirt and jacket and tossing them into the corner. He lay down on the bed, and a moment later was treated to a pale, shaky hand in his face."

"Is it going to hurt?" He heard the woman ask.

"No," the doctor said. "I've watched many Yamanakas perform the techniques. They are in no pain as they pass, I can assure you that."

"That's good," the woman said. Her voice was losing its coherency, and Koyaiba had the oddest itching feeling in the base of his skull. "Before I go…what was my name again?"

"Nagedasu," the doctor said quietly. "Yamanaka Nagedasu."

"Oh," the woman said. Her voice was barely recognizable as a voice now – it was more just a collection of sounds with no meaning behind them, like how an infant might talk. "That's a…pretty name."

Koyaiba's last thought was why she didn't know her own name. Then there was a spasm of pain, and he passed out.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Hiashi watched Koyaiba walk off into the room Nagedasu was being held. The boy was tough. He would survive the operation. If not, well…there were other chunin.

Hiashi didn't like it, but leaders made hard choices. Hizashi had taught him that. Hiashi shook his head, walking down another flight of stairs. The veins around his eyes bulged as he activated his Byakugan – sure enough, the ANBU stationed in front of the next door was on high alert. Hiashi nodded his satisfaction to the shadows where the guard was hiding, and there was a swift series of taps on the wall that came from seemingly nowhere.

The door swung open, and Hiashi walked through the doorway into the room beyond. There were only a few people in the next room, all talking in low tones with each other.

"Any luck?" Hiashi asked, walking over to the group.

The head of the project, Nara Shikaku, shook his head. "Absolutely none. We're still trying to puzzle out the seals Orochimaru was – is – using to control them.

"Make good use of the information you have," Hiashi said. "One of my best ANBU died restraining the Second after you let him free."

Shikaku nodded. "That was bad. But we had no choice. Jiraiya couldn't even guess what kind of seals Orochimaru is using to control them, so we had to extract it. We thought he would be more off guard."

"Just don't make the same mistake again," Hiashi said. "I don't want them released for a second time until they're completely free from Orochimaru's control. If one of them were to get loose…"

"I don't think we would be able to stop them," Shikaku said with a nod. "You don't need to worry sir, we've got this under control."

"Good," Hiashi said, turning to go. "You know how vital this is to Konoha."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Koyaiba woke with what felt like the biggest hangover ever. He was beginning to get used to the experience, but it still hurt like hell.

"Patient number 33 is waking up, doctor," came a voice from somewhere to his right. Koyaiba tried to look and see who it was, but his neck felt stiff and heavy, like it was made of iron instead of flesh.

"Ah, 33," Koyaiba heard someone say. A moment later, a head appeared in his field of vision – Koyaiba recognized it as the doctor who had begun the operation. "Koyaiba," the doctor said. "Can you hear me?"

Koyaiba nodded. It took an unusual amount of effort, but the doctor seemed pleased. "Can you wiggle your fingers for me?"

Koyaiba wiggled his fingers. They were stiff and numb, but moving them seemed to help. "Excellent," said the doctor. "And your toes?" Koyaiba did as he asked, and the doctor's smile widened. "Everything seems functional," he said, looking down at a clipboard he was holding. "Nami, can you check his vitals for me?"

"Of course doctor," said the voice from earlier. Koyaiba tilted his head to see two feminine hands on his bare stomach, glowing with green chakra. The muscles she was touching seemed to coil and uncoil as she passed over them – a very odd and not wholly pleasant experience. This continued for a few minutes, until the hands were pulled away. "He seems to be fine sir."

"Good. You can heal him now. I want him up and walking."

Koyaiba saw Nami nod out of the corner of his eye, and suddenly her hands were back on his stomach. The chakra that covered them this time was still green, but it was richer, brighter, and Koyaiba could feel the pain leave his body as she swept over him.

Koyaiba let out a sigh of relief, sitting up a bit and letting Nami slip one arm under his own. She pulled, and he swung his legs over the side of the bed, coming to rest in a standing position.

"Move around Koyaiba," the doctor said, looking down at his clipboard and scribbling a few notes. "Get your body warmed back up."

Koyaiba nodded silently, rolling out his arms and hobbling around. He felt unusually weak and sore – everything hurt, even after Nami had taken away a lot of the pain. Mainly he felt stiff, like he hadn't moved in a while.

"How long hafe I been out?" Koyaiba said. His tongue felt thick and puffy, and he had to work to enunciate correctly.

The doctor still didn't look up from his clipboard. "A little over a week. The dump took quite the toll on you. For a few days we weren't sure if you'd pull through."

Koyaiba nodded silently, digesting that information. Hiashi had told him he would be a test case, but he hadn't known that death would be a likely outcome. Maybe next time, he'd ask a few questions before he volunteered for any new experimental procedures.

"The good thing is that you're alive and in good condition," the doctor said. "Is it alright if I ask you some questions?"

Koyaiba shrugged. "Sure."

"What's your name?"

"Kohinata Koyaiba."

"Age?"

"Fifteen."

"Natural Element?"

"Wind."

"Genin team?"

"Hyuga Rhea and Inuzuka Yonoki," Koyaiba said. He nodded in satisfaction, and then frowned. "Wait, I mean Nara Rika. I don't know an Inuzuka Yonoki."

"I see," the doctor muttered as he scribbled some more notes. "Huh. Well, that's explainable," he said, looking up at Koyaiba. "We tried to delete all unnecessary information from Nagedasu's mind before she dumped, but apparently we missed some," he shrugged. "It doesn't seem to be anything major. Previous test subjects experienced everything from split personalities to actually believing themselves to be the recently deceased Yamanaka. It never ended well. You have some minor memories but they should fade with time…if they start getting stronger, contact the Hokage right away."

Koyaiba nodded. "Yes sir."

The doctor suddenly broke into a wide smile and clapped Koyaiba on the shoulder. "I hope you know how happy you've made me. With your success, project Trash Bin is sure to be approved for continuation. The Hokage said he was giving me one more test subject, and to make it count…and I did. Thank you very much Kohinata-kun."

"Uh, yeah. Sure," Koyaiba said. "Project Trash Bin? If you don't mind me asking…"

The doctor laughed. "Yes, well, the term "dumping" caught on and it only made sense to name the project around that. It's not a fancy name…but that reminds me…" He gripped Koyaiba by the shoulder and steered him out of the room, down a long hallway. "Your next stop is just down this hall. Here's an energy bar if you're hungry," he said, holding out a small bar wrapped in plastic.

Koyaiba thanked him and took it, ripping it open and scarfing it down. Now that the doctor had mention eating he was ravenous – he wanted more, but the doctor had already disappeared, and Koyaiba saw no option but to continue down the hallway.

Eventually he reached a large wooden door. He coughed and knocked on it hesitantly, and a moment later it swung in to reveal a tall man with glasses and meticulously combed hair.

"You must be Koyaiba," he said, bowing ever so slightly. "My name is Doctor Kumotora. I'm the head of…" he frowned. "Hold on. Knowing him…stick out your tongue. Say ah."

Koyaiba did as he was told, and Kumotora nodded. "So he did have you sealed while you were sleeping. Excellent. He's not a total incompetent after all." He paused for a moment, touching his chin slightly, and finally said, "Seal code TE24, activate. Code Ram-Tiger-Ram-Ox." Koyaiba felt a sharp sting at the back of his tongue, and Kumotora nodded to himself again. "Alright. Now until I turn your seal off, everything you see and hear is sealed – you will be unable to repeat the information to anyone unless the seal is unlocked. Do not try please – unless you no longer value your tongue of course."

Koyaiba shuddered.

"As I said," Kumotora continued. "I am Dr. Kumotora, head of project Blessed Seal. You may not know this, but several years ago the infamous villain Orochimaru created a dangerous new fuuinjutsu known as the Cursed Seal…"

"I know about it," Koyaiba cut in. "The Third Hokage told me about them."

Kumotora stopped, then sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose with two fingers. "Well, that saves us some time…but you weren't even properly sealed. He really had no business giving you classified information like that. The Fifth can be a bit abrasive, but he brings order. Perhaps I'll finally get a chance to poke around the little purple haired whelp who calls herself a special jonin."

"Anko?" Koyaiba asked. "Why do you want her?"

Kumotora smiled slightly. "Why, because she is an actual living possessor of one of Orochimaru's cursed seals. One of his original designs as well – so much could be learned from her, but she refuses to allow me to research and the Third protected her. Perhaps Hiashi will be more reasonable." He shrugged. "I had also heard that the Uchiha boy, Sasuke, had recently received one, but the Third was adamant I do not approach him. He actually became infuriated when I even suggested it. I told him…I regret it now of course, his passing was terrible…but I told him that when he was in the ground I wouldn't have to fear him anymore. He sighed and said if I lay a single finger on the Uchiha boy, it wasn't him he would have to fear. I haven't the slightest idea what he meant, but it was chilling, let me tell you…no, I think I'll be satisfied with Anko."

He turned back to Koyaiba and smiled, leading him through a few empty rooms. "But maybe I won't even need her. During the Invasion, Hatake Kakashi, a truly brilliant man, managed to capture one of Orochimaru's underlings. She has an actual cursed seal. Unfortunately we haven't been able to get much out of her…but that's where you come in."

"I'm sorry?" Koyaiba said. "I'm not sure how I'm supposed to help."

Kumotora sighed. "You were recently the receiver of a Yamanaka dump, were you not? The dumper was quite the psychologist if I remember correctly. I need you to use those skills to get inside our guest's head." He stopped and scrutinized Koyaiba carefully. "Can you do that for me?"

"I can…try," Koyaiba said. "Tell me about her."

"We don't know much," Kumotora said. He turned towards the nearest wall and pulled away a curtain, where Koyaiba could see an angry looking redhead chained to the table she was seated at. She was dressed in prisoner orange and was staring sullenly at her hands, apparently unable to see them. "We haven't been able to get her to talk. She resists all traditional forms of torture, both physical and mental, and her Cursed Seal has warped her psyche so badly we can't use any mental techniques to forcibly extract the information we want. We tried experimenting with her Cursed Seal, but it's locked itself – prodding it with some specialized chakra techniques caused her _some _pain, but not much."

"When you brought her in here," Koyaiba asked, "did she have anything on her? Personal objects, tattoos, anything?"

"She had a flute," Kumotora said with a nod. "From Hatake-sama's report, she uses it as some kind of focus for a genjutsu and to control her summons. In addition," he said, "we found two suicide seals on her."

"Two? Koyaiba asked. "Seems a little extreme. Were they the same seal?"

Kumotora shook his head. "The first one was your typical suicide seal, activated by the wearer. After realizing where she was, she attempted to activate it, but by that point we had disabled it. The other one is rigged to be remote activated. Probably by Orochimaru himself."

"When her attempt to kill herself faiedl, did she examine the seal?" Koyaiba asked. Kumotora nodded. "What about the other one?" Koyaiba asked. "The remote activated one? Did she check for that?" Kumotora frowned, then shook his head. Koyaiba nodded. "One last question. Where the second suicide seal located?"

"Oh, that? Near the back top of her head," Kumotora said. "Obscured by her hair and hidden with some additional seals. If we hadn't run very thorough scans we never would've found it."

Koyaiba nodded. "Ok. Let me see her. But first, promise me something."

"Anything" Kumotora said immediately.

"When I come out," Koyaiba said, "And tell you to do something, you do it. If I tell you to stop the torture, stop. If I tell you to feed her a buffet, do it. She needs to believe I can follow up on promises I make," he said. He frowned slightly – _where had that come from?_ But Kumotora didn't seem to notice.

"Done," he said. "Anything to make some headway."

"And I wont get immediate results," Koyaiba warned. "It will take time."

Kumotora spread his arms with a wry smile. "My dear Koyaiba, I have nothing but time."

"Good," Koyaiba said with a nod. "Let me in to talk to her then."

Kumotora turned and pushed on a section of wall, which swung open slowly. "When you're finished, signal for me to let you out. There's no handle on the other side." Koyaiba nodded silently and entered the room.

Immediately, he was hit with a wave of killing intent. The girl stared at him as he walked closer to the table, each step becoming more and more difficult.

Koyaiba, refusing to show weakness, simply took his seat and fixed her with an even stare. The killing intent redoubled, and Koyaiba was glad he was seated – it might've driven him to his knees otherwise. He worked to keep his face blank, and finally the girl sighed and leaned back in her chair, the killing intent relaxing.

"Hi," Koyaiba said. His voice was easy and calm, but not friendly – simply neutral. "I'm Koyaiba."

The girl said nothing, but Koyaiba had expected as much.

"This conversation would be a lot easier if you would tell me your name," he suggested. No response, so he shrugged. "Alright. No skin off my back." He leaned back and put his feet up on the chair, tipping it back onto its back legs. "I guess you know why I'm here."

The girl said nothing, but her expression shifted from an angry scowl to something else. It was the look his husband would…

It was the look _someone _who Koyaiba had never met would get after a long day. A weariness. Koyaiba took that to mean she knew. "I take it you're not looking forward to your next session with the doctor there," he said, nodding towards the door.

Still no words. Not even a change in expression.

Koyaiba nodded. Then he leaned in slightly – not obviously, only slightly – a minuscule lean and hunch as if he were about to say something private and needed to get closer. Then, making sure she was looking at him, he flicked his eyes to the upper left corner of the room.

The upper left corner of the room was conveniently shrouded in shadow, and was the perfect spot for a recording device of some kind. Koyaiba saw the girl's eyes flicker up to the same spot, and though her face remained impassive, her eyes showed a flash of something akin to triumph.

_Trap_, Koyaiba thought to himself, resisting the urge to smirk, _set_. "Look," he said, his voice a low whisper. "I don't like these guys any more than you do alright? I don't know if you've noticed, but they do some pretty fucked up shit. They've done it to a lot of people. Including me." He paused, waiting if the girl would respond, but she didn't. "They want something from you. It would make them happy. But I don't want them happy. I want to delay them, to trip them up. Do you understand?"

If she did understand, she didn't show it. But that didn't deter Koyaiba.

"I need you to say something. Anything. One word. If they think I'm making progress then they'll listen to me. They'll do anything I tell them. They'll stop doing anything I tell them to."

The girl sat silently for a while, regarding him coolly. Finally, she spoke. "I like red."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

A noise woke Sasuke in the night.

At first he thought it was just Naruto – the blonde was constantly waking in the middle of the night to eat, or go to the bathroom, or to do God knows what else. There were times Sasuke wanted to get up and smack some sense into him, but most of the time he was just too tired to actually get up out of bed and go do it.

As Sasuke continued to listen however, he realized that whatever the noise had been, it wasn't Naruto. Naruto made a long series of noises that got progressively louder as he approached his objective – knocks and curses from when he bumped into something, scrapes and curses from when he opened the wrong door, a loud string of curses from when he took a wrong turn. How one man could make so much noise and still call himself a ninja was beyond Sasuke, but Naruto was a puzzling person.

The noises now however, were few and far between – not consistent enough to be wind rain or animals, too consistent to be his imagination. There was definitely someone in his house, someone he hadn't invited, and that pissed Sasuke off.

The problem, however, lay in the fact that they had bypassed the house's security without setting any of it off. That didn't just imply skill – it implied knowledge of the security seals that would've required detailed observation and study. Meaning not only were the skilled, they were smart, and now Sasuke could hear something outside his room.

His door slid open, and Sasuke reacted with blinding speed.

Within moments, he was out of bed and gripping the two kunai he stashed under his pillow. One hurtled through the air, missing the shadowy figure he had been aiming for by inches and burying itself several inches deep into the doorframe. Sasuke leapt to the side, hitting the ground and rolling back to his feet, and threw the other kunai. This one was knocked aside with a clink of metal, and Sasuke brought his hands together in an attempt to draw on a fire jutsu. Risky, but he could always put it out later.

He never got the chance to release the jutsu though, because mere moments after he began the hand seals, something sticky hit his wrists and locked his hands together. Another blow came, this one a fist, and hit him the throat – Sasuke gurgled and cursed inwardly – that blow had effectively silenced him. He should've shouted for Naruto the instant they had opened the door, and now he couldn't make a sound.

A big, meaty hand grabbed him by the collar of his pajamas and shoved him into the wall, and Sasuke winced. His feet were a good two feet above the ground, but his attacker didn't seem to be having any trouble holding him up.

"So this is the boss' big prize? Doesn't seem so tough to me." One of the men said.

_Fight me where I can see you, bastard, and you won't think that_, Sasuke thought with a snarl. He had activated his Sharingan first thing, but with no light to see by it hadn't helped him much.

"Boss said he come quietly if we explained the situation," another said. "Let him down Jirobo, but don't let go of him." Sasuke felt his feet touch the ground, but the grip on his collar stayed tight. "My name's Sakon," the man said, "leader of the Sound Four…or three now I suppose. We work for Orochimaru."

That was all Sasuke needed to hear. He twisted violently, foot coming up and hitting Jirobo right between the legs. Jirobo groaned, his grip loosening, and Sasuke managed to wrench himself free, stumbling off to the side.

Suddenly, something heavy hit his right cheek, driving him to his knees. He spat out a lot of blood and a tooth, but before he could recover something slammed into the back of his head and he hit the ground face first.

"I hope boss knows what he's getting himself into," one of the men said. "Say night-night, Uchiha. Sakon, you getting the barrel ready?"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto was aware something was wrong when he walked into the kitchen.

Sasuke always woke up before he did. The Uchiha genin would usually take out the milk and some cereal, along with a piece of fruit, and finish it all before Naruto was even awake. He would then leave the trash and dishes on the table for Naruto to clean up, as was their agreement. Naruto didn't mind it too much – he usually just had a Shadow Clone do it while another one prepared breakfast – but it was still something he did every day.

And yet for some reason, there was no mess today. Odd. It was highly unlikely that Sasuke had cleaned up after himself, and he rarely if ever skipped breakfast. So pressing his hands together, Naruto made a Shadow Clone, which began making breakfast, and walked down the hall to Sasuke's room.

And that's when he knew something was wrong.

There was a kunai buried in the doorframe, another lying on the ground a few inches away from Naruto's right foot. Sasuke's bed wasn't made, and there was a bit of dry blood and a white tooth on the floor near the far wall. Several scrolls were lying on the ground near Sasuke's bedside table, like they had rolled off.

Naruto groaned. This was _not_ a good way to start the morning…

XXXXXXXXXXXX

An hour and a half later, the Uchiha Recovery Team 2 was preparing to mobilize.

Sakura didn't like their odds. Sasuke had been taken hours ago – exactly how long they didn't know – and there only twenty ninja available to track down the Uchiha heir, thirteen of whom were genin. And of those thirteen, seven were her fellow rookies – and three more were the members of Team Guy.

Of course, the Hokage had placed them all under her command. It made sense – she knew them best, could use their abilities best – but it would've been nice to have at least one more chunin on the team with her. She still wasn't very comfortable in calling the shots.

Luckily, Shikamaru seemed happy to help with that. The usually lazy and removed Nara genin had become focused and determined when the Fifth had laid out the situation, and had wasted no time in offering his opinion. Sakura, impressed with his analysis of the situation, had given him honorary chunin status for the duration of the mission and put half the team under his control.

"This is URT2 to mission control," Sakura said into the short-range radio in her ear. "Team leader Haruno reporting that we are leaving the village. Half of our forces have been put under the command of genin Nara."

"URT2, this is mission control. You are clear to go," came a voice from the other end of the radio. "Good luck."

"We'll need it," Sakura muttered to herself. She motioned for the rest of her squad to come alongside her – Naruto, Neji, Ino, Shino, and Lee came into her peripheral vision.

"Trackers, are we encountering any issues yet?" Sakura asked.

Neji shook his head. "I have a clear view of the rest of our team," he said. "If they find them, Hinata will signal me first thing, and vica versa."

Satisfied, Sakura nodded. "Shino?"

"I have projected my Hive several hundred feet ahead of us at an angle of roughly one-hundred degrees," Shino replied. "If these kidnappers have some method to hide themselves from the Byakugan, my bugs should be able to find them."

"I just hope Kiba knew what he was talking about when he said they went this way," Sakura said. "If we're going in the wrong direction…"

"Though Kiba's expertise lies in combat, he is very talented when it comes to his clan's tracking techniques," Shino said. "I would not worry about the accuracy of his assessment, and instead focus on the task ahead of us."

"You're right," Sakura said. "You're right. I need to stay focused. Everyone on their guards. If you see anything suspicious, don't hesitate to bring it to attention, but remember that time is of the essence."

The rest of the squad nodded, stony faced and silent. Even Naruto said nothing – he was taking Sasuke's kidnapping hard. Whether that was only because they were so close now or because Naruto felt partially responsible, Sakura didn't know, but either way it was a bad sign.

They continued on for roughly twenty minutes, when Shino spoke up. "My bugs have come across a campsite."

"I have a visual," Neji confirmed. "It's definitely a campsite. Recent too. Should we regroup with Shikamaru's squad and check it out?"

"No," Sakura said. "If they stopped for the night then there's a good chance that they're closer than we thought. If we slow down now, we could lose that advantage. Who's closer, us or Shikamaru?"

"We are," Neji said immediately.

"Inform Hinata of the situation and tell them to continue on. We'll try to catch up."

"That's a calculated risk," Shino observed. "If they changed course after resting, we could be sending Shikamaru's squad in the wrong direction."

"We'll risk it," Sakura said, her tone firm. "Neji, your new job is to keep an eye on Shikamaru's squad. Tell Hinata that her top priority is making sure she can see us."

"On it," Neji said. He turned his head to the left and began mouthing words into thin air – it was a very odd sight, but if it worked, Sakura wasn't going to criticize it.

"Shino, point Lee in the direction of the campsite. Lee, get there as fast as you can and look for any clues."

"Right!" Lee shouted. He waited for Shino to point him in the right direction and stripped two weights away from his legs, shooting forward in a burst of sudden speed.

Sakura marveled at how fast that kid could be when he got serious – she was going to have to get training sessions from his jonin. Guy, right? A little crazy…but for results like that, she could handle a little crazy.

"Sakura?" Neji said suddenly, his brow furrowing. "I think something's wrong."

Off in the distance, Sakura heard an explosion.

"Yes," Neji said, "something is definitely wrong.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Author's notes can be found on livejournal!


	34. Rescue

His ears were ringing like crazy, and even though he knew his eyes were shut, all he could see was a blinding light.

For the third time in his life, Lee felt terror grip him as he realized he was about to die.

He felt something move towards him, and in a quick movement that was more instinct than actual thought leapt backwards. He flew higher into the air than he had expected – the weights that normally kept him pinned down were gone, and his body felt supernaturally light. He landed and rolled backwards, shifting into a fighting posture.

He was beginning to get his sight back now, but not enough to actually see anything. He felt something whizz through the air towards him and ducked low to the ground, and then something big and meaty caught him under the chin and threw him into a tree.

Lee arched his back with a cry of pain. He couldn't fight like this, not disoriented and blind and deaf and with something hard and metallic stuck in his right thigh. (He was just now noticing it, and though it wasn't enough to put him down completely it would slow him – essentially a death warrant in a fight like this)

He felt somebody grab him by the throat and lashed out with his uninjured leg, striking a bony chest and causing whoever was holding him to grunt in pain and let go of him. Something sharp whizzed by him as he fell to the ground, cutting a shallow gash in his right side.

He was able to see vague, blurry shapes now, and every once and a while heard a noise other than a high-pitched ringing. An arm shaped blob of shadow descended towards him at an alarmingly fast pace, and he blocked it with his forearm, rolling backwards again to try and get more space.

And then the cavalry came.

Lee heard the sharp sound of metal hitting metal somewhere to the right of his head and stumbled backwards, where someone caught him under the arms.

"Calm down Lee," came Tenten's voice. "I've got you. Are you ok?"

"I'm fine!" Lee said, struggling back to his feet. "Point me in the right direction Tenten! I may not be able to see but I can still fight!"

"Dammit Lee, I said calm down," Tenten growled, yanking him backwards by the collar. There was another sharp chime, and as Lee's hearing began to return in earnest he was aware of a pitched battle raging around him. "Sakura's on her way with the rest of the team and I'm hoping Recovery Team 1 is coming in as back up. Just don't get yourself hurt."

"I'm fine!" Lee insisted. His vision was almost back to normal now – he could see Kiba and Shikamaru clashing with a pale white haired man, and Hinata whirling around in an elaborate dance, barely dodging out of the way of a man spitting webs out of his mouth. Chouji was head to head with a nearly bald fat man, both of them seeking to overpower the other with brute force.

A kunai streaked towards Shikamaru's ear, but Tenten knocked it away with a shuriken at the last moment. "Let's go then!" She said, pulling out a light green scroll. Lee!"

Lee gave her thumbs up and his trademark grin. "Lee and Tenten's-"

"Rising Lotus Dragon Combo!"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Alright," Sakura said as they sped towards the sight of the explosion. "Neji, tell us what's happening."

"Shikamaru's squad has already engaged," Neji said, his voice calm and clear. "There are three of them – one is big and strong enough to stop Choji, another is using some kind of webs to trip up Hinata, and the last is fighting both Shikamaru and Kiba."

"Lee?" Sakura asked, worry tingeing her voice.

"Hurt, but alive," Neji said. "It won't stop him."

"And Sasuke? Can you see him?"

"No," Neji replied with a slight frown. "There's some kind of barrel, which is where he must be, but I can't see inside it."

"Alright," Sakura said, taking a deep breath. She could hear the ring of battle as they got closer, and knew she only had a minute or two to come up with a strategy. "Here's the plan. Neji, support-"

"Alright guys, let's do this!" Naruto shouted, charging ahead with a sudden burst of speed. "UZUMAKIIIIII NARUTOOOOOOO!"

There was a moment of stunned silence.

"He is going to die," Sakura said, her jaw still somewhat slack. Then reality set in, and she realized that Naruto was going to die. "Go! Go! We've got to save him!"

The five of them took off after Naruto, who now was an orange blur several dozen feet ahead of them. Sakura had never seen Naruto pull out that kind of raw speed before – was he drawing on the Nine-Tails? She shook her head, clearing it, and tried to focus herself. "Ok, everyone, listen up. Neji, I want you to support Choji. Maybe the Gentle Fist can succeed where brute strength is failing. Ino, I want you to help Shikamaru and Kiba. Shino, stay back and use your bugs to bust through whatever's holding Sasuke. Once we get him free we're pulling a full retreat if we can manage it."

The rest of her squad nodded, and then they burst into the fight.

It was chaos. Lee and Tenten were performing some kind of combo attack, Lee whirling around the battlefield while kunai and shuriken and who knew what else flew from a scroll wrapped around his body. Hinata had one hand stuck to a tree and was desperately fighting to pull free before her opponent could impale her with a strange looking golden knife. Kiba was pounding relentlessly at his opponent, trying to get through him to help Hinata, but the man was as strong and as fast as Kiba was, and wasn't letting him help his teammate. Shikamaru was clutching his arm, which had a kunai imbedded in it, and Choji was trying to get to his feet after being put through a tree.

Sakura couldn't see Naruto anywhere, but she didn't have time to think about that. "Go!" She shouted to her squad, her voice sounding shrill and scared, and they hit the ground before bounding away a moment later.

Sakura whirled, a shuriken in each hand, and hurled them at the man Kiba was fighting in an attempt to force him away from the Inuzuka. It worked – he was forced to dodge away, and Kiba plowed into the back of the spider ninja moments before he buried his knife in Hinata's skull. The girl was white as a sheet but managed to pull herself free and attempted to press her momentary advantage on her opponent.

Ino came diving from the trees a moment later, a flash of purple and yellow, and hit the spider ninja in the shoulders, bringing them both to the ground. Sakura head heavy footsteps on coming towards her and instinctively ducked. Not a moment later a thick fist hit the tree in front of her and plowed right through it – Sakura didn't waste a second, plunging a shuriken up into his body. It met a wall of fat and the man grunted, but kicked her through the air and away from the fight with a terrifying ease.

She rolled to her feet, and flinched as something touched her shoulder, but it was only Shino attempting to help her to her feet.

"We are being watched," he said.

Sakura tried to respond, but suddenly there was a second explosion that tore through the air and drove everyone to their knees. Sakura screamed and covered her ears, and out of the corner of her eye she could see Naruto fly through the air like a cannonball, hitting a group of sturdy branches with a sickening crunch.

"Naruto!" She shouted, her voice sounding too soft and disembodied to be real. Her teammate fell to the ground in a shower of leaves and blood, and her heart caught in her chest as she desperately struggled to her feet.

"You were careless," came a voice from ahead of her. Sakura spit out a tooth and stood, grabbing a kunai from the ground beside her. "The boy made it to the barrel," the voice said again. "If it hadn't been rigged to detonate, he would've freed the Uchiha."

Sakura gasped and looked frantically for the barrel, but it sat where it had always sat, apparently unharmed. Far more important were the two new sound ninja standing in front of her.

One had white hair that was parted down the middle – he had two red dots on his forehead, and wore a loose purple shirt with a thick rope tied around his waist.

The other, the one who had been speaking, was Kabuto.

Sakura's eyes widened and she stumbled back – around her, the genin were struggling to their feet, each preparing themselves for when the battle began.

Kabuto, who seemed unworried by the genin, continued to speak. "I must say, I expected more of you three. Orochimaru certainly did. Sakon, your form was sloppy and you let Sakura - the pink haired one – distract you," he said. "Kidomaru, you failed to capitalize on an opponent who was off guard. Jirobo…you have enough strength to shatter trees, so how do you never kill anyone?"

The three sound ninja scowled, but bowed their heads and spoke in unison. "We apologize, Kabuto-sama."

"You should," Kabuto said with a smirk. "Luckily for you, Kimmimaro and I already killed the other team, so I'll leave you four to take care of this one." He walked over to the barrel holding Sasuke and picked it up, preparing to leap away. "Try to make it quick."

Sakura lunged forward, but the new one, Kimmimaro, blocked her fist with a lightning quick counter and sent her tumbling back to the ground. He raised a hand, palm open, and Sakura watched with growing horror as a freakishly sharp bone grew out of the center of his palm.

"Hey, asshole," a voice said from behind her. "What do you think you're doing?"

Sakura couldn't even see Naruto, he was moving so fast. There was a blur of orange and red and suddenly he was there, crashing into Kimmimaro and throwing him away. Sakon moved with liquid grace, driving a fist towards his head, but Naruto ducked under the blow and grabbed his wrist, throwing him into Kidomaru.

Then he noticed Kabuto was gone. He cursed to himself, and in another blur was gone, streaking through the trees after him. Sakura scrambled backwards, bringing her hands together for a minor genjutsu that made it look like he was going in multiple directions simultaneously. Kimmimaro fired several small white bones from his fingertips, but they flew harmlessly through the genjutsu Narutos.

By this time Sakura had regrouped and was being helped to her feet by Kiba. The fight was starting again, the Konoha genin working in small, quickly shifting groups to try to throw the sound ninja off balance.

"Sakura! Go!" Shikamaru shouted. She shook her head, but Shikamaru shoved her towards a break in the Sound Ninja's line. "Naruto is no match for that guy alone! You have to think of the objective!"

She threw a look back at Shikamaru, but he just nodded confidently. "I can hold the line. We're the same rank for this mission, right? Don't worry about us."

Sakura swallowed, but every second she sat here, Kabuto got further away. Finally she nodded to Shikamaru and sprang into the trees in a desperate attempt to save her teammates.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Kabuto frowned to himself. He had been able to keep Naruto off his back with a few genjutsu tricks, but the barrel was heavy and Naruto seemed supernaturally fast – the faint orange glow around him revealed he was already using the Fox's chakra.

Well since he wasn't going to be able to outrun Naruto, he had to end this. He burst through the trees into an enormous canyon – the famous and quite scenic Valley of the End.

_As good a place to have a showdown as any,_ Kabuto thought with a wry smile. Orochimaru would've approved – he always did have a certain flair for the dramatic.

Kabuto dropped the barrel onto the shore and turned, standing on the water and waiting. A half minute later Naruto came flying out of the trees – but he was no longer glowing.

_He suppressed the Fox's chakra_, Kabuto thought to himself. _Interesting. _

"Here I am, Naruto-kun," Kabuto said with a slight smile. "Are you ready to finish this?"

Naruto, gripping a kunai so hard his knuckles were actually white from the strain, gave Kabuto a fairly impressive death glare. "If he's hurt…" Naruto said, his voice barely more than a whisper, "I'll kill you."

"You're welcome to try," Kabuto said.

And then Naruto threw the kunai.

The throw was hurried and wild, and wouldn't have hit Kabuto anyway, but Kabuto knocked it to the side anyway. Maybe Naruto would realize just how outclassed he was.

And then there was a puff of smoke. Kabuto frowned and turned, and his eyes widened as he saw another Naruto occupying the space the kunai should be.

The other Naruto, who was clutching yet another kunai, flashed Kabuto a cocky grin and threw. This kunai knifed through the air towards Sasuke's barrel, and barely a moment before it hit burst in a puff of smoke – revealing yet another Naruto, who crashed into the barrel screaming at the top of his lungs.

The barrel, already weak from blowing most of it's chakra on the explosion earlier, shattered, and both Naruto and a very underdressed Sasuke tumbled across the shore. Kabuto could only watch in openmouthed disbelief as Naruto put one of Sasuke's arms over his shoulder and helped the Uchiha to his feet.

"Clever, clever," Kabuto said, regaining control of himself and clapping his hands slowly. "But it will take more than that to beat me Naruto-kun. I hate to say it, but you two don't stand a chance."

Then the world stretched apart, like it was straining against itself, and snapped back together – revealing a very Naruto and Sasuke-less shore.

Kabuto cursed and brought his hands together.

And then something like a sledgehammer hit him in the back of the head.


	35. Teamwork Part II

Naruto tossed Sasuke an extra pouch of weapons and stared with open-mouthed amazement as Sakura hit Kabuto in the back of the head.

"That girl…" he said, his trademark grin covering his face, "is incredible."

"Eh," Sasuke said, strapping the pouch around his thigh as his eyes swirled with crimson and black. "The genjutsu is decent, but the kick lacks power."

"Oh, I'm sorry we can't all be as super gifted as you, Sasuke," Naruto said, rolling his eyes and bringing his hands together in the Shadow Clone seal.

"What can I say?" Sasuke asked with a slight smirk. "It's a curse. You would see that if you had any real skills."

Naruto scowled but didn't reply. "Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

He was immediately surrounded by a few dozen Narutos, half of whom henged into Sasuke, complete with the tattered pajamas and red Sharingan eyes. "Let's do this!" The shouted in unison, charging Kabuto.

Sakura had bounded away, and Kabuto seemed to have recovered from the genjutsu she had placed him under, because he was moving quickly though a long string of seals. When he finished, he slammed one hand to the ground. "Earth Release: Rock Volley Jutsu!"

The ground beneath the charging clones began to shake, and suddenly tiny clumps of rock flew at them like hundreds of tiny shuriken. They slammed into the bodies of the clones, dispersing them in a massive puff of smoke.

"Cover!" Sasuke said, charging into the smoke. "Watch my back!"

"Sasuke, wait!" Naruto shouted, but it was too late – his friend had vanished into the quickly dissipating smoke. Naruto heard a clang of metal on metal, and then a pained shout, and he charged in after Sasuke.

When he got close enough, he could see Sasuke and Sakura both on the ground, struggling to their feet. Kabuto stood above them, a tanto blade in one hand - where he had gotten that from, Naruto had no idea – and was moving towards Sakura with a determined glint in his eye.

Naruto's eyebrows furrowed and he brought his hands together in a quick string of seals. "Hell Needles Jutsu!" There was a rush of chakra from his stomach to his head, and Naruto could feel his hair lengthening. A moment later, tiny spikes of hardened blonde hair shot from him towards Kabuto – the medic nin took two needles to the stomach and another to the leg before bounding away from Sakura with a curse of frustration.

"Thanks for the save Naruto," Sakura said, shakily getting to her feet. Sasuke stood next to her, shaking his head and scowling.

"He's faster than I expected," he said, as the three of them got back to back and scanned the area for the suddenly absent Kabuto. "Almost as fast as Kakashi. His taijutsu though…it's sloppy. If we can get close, we can overwhelm him."

"He's not going to just let that happen," Sakura said, her voice quavering slightly but still cool and controlled. "We need a plan."

"We need to find him first!" Naruto insisted, scanning the area in front of him with increasing nervousness. "Why are we just sitting here?"

"Oh…I don't know," came Kabuto's voice from the rocks above them. "I kind of assumed you were making things easy for me."

Naruto looked up and got ready to jump, but just as he did, Kabuto pressed a hand to the ground. The earth beneath Naruto's feet began to soften and come together in a quicksand like substance, and he let out a shout of surprise as he began sinking.

Sasuke managed to leap away just in time, hurling two shuriken at Kabuto and sticking solidly to the side of a rock nearby. "Sakura!" He shouted, reaching out his hand.

Sakura grasped Naruto's arm with her right hand and Sasuke's with her left, and the Uchiha grunted as he pulled them both free of the quicksand. Naruto was thrown into the air, barely managing to land on his feet before rolling across rocky shore of the river.

"Where'd he go?" Sakura shouted, both hands on a kunai.

"I don't know," Sasuke said, his voice low and calm. "He's an Earth Release user, so watch your-"

Naruto felt something grip him by the ankle, and suddenly he was tunneling through rock.

"feet," he heard Sasuke finish.

Naruto kicked, and Kabuto's hand vanished – leaving him stranded under several dozen feet of solid rock. He couldn't see, could barely breathe, and had no idea how to get out before he suffocated. He should've been panicking.

But all he could feel was angry.

He snarled, and raw _power _built up under his skin, filling his entire body with a kind of warmth he had only felt a few times before. He kicked down, and literally tore through the solid rock, bursting through the surface to the surprised faces of his teammates.

They didn't matter now. Kabuto mattered, and Naruto knew he was close by. His senses felt heightened, like he was super-aware of everything going on around him. He could hear the heartbeats, smell the scents, and even feel the vibrations of everything around him.

Kabuto's pathetic attempts at stealth didn't stand a chance.

Naruto dashed to the rock where Kabuto was hiding, shattering it with a single punch. Kabuto darted out, surprised, but his hand glowing with medical green chakra. He slashed at Naruto's hamstring but he wasn't quite fast enough to catch the demonized genin, and Naruto's right hook connected with Kabuto's chin with a sickening crack.

Kabuto grunted and kicked dust into Naruto's eyes. While the loss of his sight didn't matter much – all the new senses more than made up for it – the surprise and stinging pain still distracted him, and Kabuto used those precious few seconds to magnetize the ground beneath him. Naruto snarled as he felt the metal on his body leap away from the suddenly highly magnetic ground, carrying him with it.

Sasuke and Sakura leapt in next, and both of them together seemed to be able to slow Kabuto down at least a little. Sakura got a cut in with her kunai, and Sasuke managed to hit him in the gut with a solid sounding kick, but Kabuto recovered, and the green chakra coating his hands cut a long gash in the Uchiha's arm.

Sakura, who had been preparing another genjutsu, released it with a frightened shout. Kabuto shook his head in frustration as her genjutsu overtook him for a second time, bringing his hands together in the release seal. He freed himself, but by that time neither Sasuke nor Sakura were anywhere to be seen.

Naruto charged again, his body still quivering with red-hot chakra. Kabuto blocked his first kick with his forearm, ducked under his second one, and landed a punch on Naruto's chest, but the genin held his ground and rammed his shoulder into the medic-nin's stomach. The two of them tumbled to the ground, Kabuto's hands glowing with green chakra yet again.

Naruto caught his hands by the wrists and held them, just barely diverting Kabuto's first swipe away from his face. He snarled, and began forcing Kabuto's hands towards his own face. Kabuto grunted, beads of sweat breaking out on his face, and the chakra faded.

No longer afraid of being slice to ribbons, Naruto released Kabuto's wrists and punched him in the nose.

Kabuto grunted as blood burst from his face, getting a leg between himself and Naruto and shoving. Naruto stumbled back, winding up for another punch, but there was a burst of foul smelling purple smoke and Kabuto was gone.

Naruto growled and tried to find him – but the smoke stung his eyes and filled his nose with a putrid scent, and he couldn't even hear the white haired ninja, who was now doing a much better job of covering his tracks.

Naruto leapt out of the smoke, his frustration slowly increasing. He knew if he could just land a few solid hits he could end this, but the sound ninja was tricky and wasn't going to let himself get cornered by Naruto. He wasn't standing and fighting – he was running, hiding, striking from shadows…

There was a scream, and Naruto's head whipped around with an animalistic growl. He was just in time to see Sasuke vanish into the solid rock of the cliff face, Sakura uselessly pulling at one of his legs until there was nothing left to pull on.

Finally, something to hit.

A moment later and he was there, and as his fist connected with Sakura's face he allowed himself to smile. _This _was what he had needed – someone he could really hurt, someone who wouldn't be able to slip away from him. After he beat her to a bloody pulp he could find Kabuto – there would be plenty of time to kill him later.

He hit Sakura again, sending her sprawling, and a vague pang of uncertainty came from somewhere in his head. Should he really be hitting _her_? Part of him said yes, but part of him said no, a part that got stronger as he kicked her into the cliff Sasuke had just vanished into.

More uncertainty. Naruto frowned. Hitting her made sense – he was angry after all, and more frustrated than he had been in a long time…the last time he had been this was when that _damn _seal…

Naruto felt his eyes widen.

_Crap._

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Sasuke couldn't see very well, but he did realize a few things.

One, Kabuto had him. And was dragging him through the cliff that framed the Valley of the End with the same technique Orochimaru had used when he attacked them in the forest. Sasuke wasn't exactly sure what the technique was (other than it allowed the user to travel through things) but he did know that forcing Kabuto to let go of him now would be a bad idea.

So he waited. He was vaguely aware that they were moving up – Kabuto probably wanted to put as much distance between them and Naruto/Sakura as possible before resurfacing. At this rate they'd emerge on the head of Madara Uchiha, or maybe the finger.

They popped out of the stone on the top of Madara's head, and Sasuke was already moving. He leapt backwards, landing on one hand and throwing a shuriken with the other, but Kabuto was too fast – he dodged the shuriken and landed three powerful blows on Sasuke before the Uchiha could spring away.

He grabbed Sasuke's ankle and tried to throw him across the head, but Sasuke pressed his hands together and gathered up chakra. "Fire Release: Grand Fireball jutsu!"

A giant ball of flame came from his mouth, hitting Kabuto point blank. With a scream of pain he released Sasuke, stumbling back, and Sasuke leapt to the side, taking advantage of Kabuto's brief lapse in concentration to throw himself into the river.

The river was ice cold, and the minute Sasuke hit the current he was thrown into a rock, but he grit his teeth and took it. A moment later he was over the edge of the cliff, falling rapidly towards the river below.

He crashed into the river with an icy sploosh, surfacing a moment later and pushing chakra to his hands. He placed his palms on the surface of the river and pushed himself to the top, still breathing heavily, and finally crouched down on top of the water.

"Sasuke!" He heard Naruto shout.

Sasuke turned his head towards the sound and saw Naruto standing over an unconscious Sakura. She was bleeding rather heavily, but Sasuke saw that most of it was from the head. "What happened to her?" He asked, running up beside Naruto and looking down at his pink-haired teammate.

"I…I…I don't know," Naruto said, his voice strained. "I just…I wasn't really…"

"It's alright," Sasuke said, "It's not your fault. I shouldn't have let Kabuto catch me off guard. The Fox is gone, right?"

"Y-Yeah."

"Too bad. We might need him," Sasuke said, looking up towards the top of the statue. "What is he doing up there?"

"I'm not bringing him back," Naruto said, shaking his head with finality Sasuke hadn't expected. "No way."

Sasuke grunted. "I'm not going to argue with you but…"

"I'm. Not. Bringing. Him. Back."

"Fine," Sasuke said. He wasn't in the mood to argue with Naruto right now – what his friend lacked in reason or common sense he made up for in volume. Debating with him was like trying to argue against a tornado, except with more property damage involved. Sasuke shuddered. _Shisui had always liked those plates…_

"We need to move her," Naruto said in an attempt to change the subject. "Where's Kabuto?"

"I don't know," Sasuke admitted, watching as Naruto gently picked Sakura up and carried her towards a shallow cave in the cliff face. "Planning something. I don't like it."

Naruto placed Sakura carefully on the ground and ran a gentle hand over her wounds. "Maybe he ran away."

"Wishful thinking," Sasuke said with a shake of his head. "He's preparing something up there. We need to go after him, hit him before he finishes whatever he's doing."

Naruto nodded. "What are we waiting for then? Let's hit this bastard!"

_Hissssssssssssssss_

Sasuke frowned. "Do you…" he said, turning back towards the river, "hear something…hissing?"

Naruto didn't answer for a moment. "Look up."

Sasuke looked up.

Snakes were falling from the sky.

Hundreds…no, thousands of snakes were falling from the sky, hissing wildly. They were all different colors, streaking towards himself and Naruto like a wave of rainbow, hissing kunai from God.

"Oh," was all Sasuke could say. "This is what he was planning."

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

The snakes started hitting the ground like rain, most of them dispersing on contact with the hard rock. But some of them hit the water, and even more managed to latch onto Naruto or Sasuke, sinking their tiny fangs into the genins' flesh.

Sasuke grunted in pain and ripped one snake off his bicep; ducking back into the shallow cave they had hidden Sakura in. Naruto followed suit a moment later, his clones doing their best to form a wall between them and the snakes. But there were simply too many of the little bastards, and they were slipping through the cracks.

Sasuke brought his hands together. "Fire Release: Grand Fireball Jutsu!" Flame burst from his mouth, setting several of the approaching snakes on fire. The others shied away from the sudden heat with angry hisses, but Sasuke knew it wouldn't hold them for long.

Luckily, it didn't have to. As soon as the fire began to fade, Naruto hit them with more of his hair needles, spearing several of the snakes right through their skulls. But still more pressed on – they had stopped falling from the sky, but there were still far too many for Sasuke to feel comfortable.

He threw several more shuriken, but still the snakes came. "We need to get out of here," he said through grit teeth. Naruto seemed to be a few steps ahead, because he already had Sakura over one shoulder and was tearing off through the tide of incoming snakes. Sasuke followed suit, dodging one near bite and stomping on several of the snakes as he passed. One managed to latch onto his ankle and Sasuke cursed, kicking out and throwing the snake into the side of the cliff, where it unsummoned with a meager puff.

Now mostly clearly of the snakes, he looked up, to see Kabuto.

Naruto was sprinting towards the woods, probably looking for a place to store Sakura, when the white haired medic appeared out of nowhere. His glasses were cracked and his clothes were torn and burned almost to oblivion, but physically he looked fine. He held out an arm, and Naruto was moving too fast to stop – his throat crashing into Kabuto's elbow, throwing him to the ground with a harsh wheeze of pain.

Sakura flew from Narutos arms and hit the shore of the river hard, skidding and rolling across the rock leaving a trail of blood in her wake. Naruto hacked and wheezed, trying to stand, but Kabuto shoved his foot into the genin's throat, forcing him back down with more coughing.

"Naruto!" Sasuke shouted, rushing forward. Kabuto didn't even move his feet, just blocked Sasuke's clumsy punch and responded with a savage right hook, knocking loose a few of Sasuke's teeth and throwing him to the ground.

"I'm getting annoyed, Sasuke-kun," Kabuto said, with no mocking amusement left in his voice. "Surrender and come quietly, or I'm going to kill Naruto-kun. And believe me, neither of us want that."

"Why…why don't you want to kill him?" Sasuke asked, his voice hoarse. He didn't know what to do – but every second Kabuto was talking was a second he wasn't choking the life out of Sasuke's best friend. Maybe if he could just catch his breath, he could find an opening…

"He has a role to play," Kabuto said. "Being a container and all that. Regrettable if he should die, but not," he increased the pressure on Naruto's neck, "_too _regrettable. He can be replaced."

Naruto let out a hacking cough that Sasuke was half sure was supposed to be a defiant _Fuck you_.

"He's not just a container," Sasuke said, his fists clenching. "He's Naruto Uzumaki, and he can't just be replaced." His voice was rising now, desperate to keep Kabuto focused on him. "Especially not by trash like you!"

"A touching sentiment," Kabuto said, his voice indicating he found nothing about it touching. "I suppose that means that you won't be coming quietly."

"No," Sakura said from where she was standing, merely inches behind Kabuto. Her voice was weak, her knees wobbly, her body bruised and battered, but she had the drop on the older ninja, and a sharp piece of metal in her hand. "It means shut the fuck up."

And then she plunged the kunai into Kabuto's throat.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

**As always always always, Authors notes are up on livejournal. Link is in my profile. **


	36. Aftermath

"You did good kid," the large Chunin said, clapping Shikamaru on the shoulder. These guys weren't pushovers, but you managed to take them all down – and with no casualties even." He frowned. "Why didn't you make Chunin again?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "I don't really care. Will Neji and Lee be ok?"

"The Hyuuga kid and Mini-Guy, right?" The Chunin said. "Yeah, they should be fine – after some surgery. Mini-Guy used the Gates, right? His muscles were all torn up, but nothing a little medical jutsu and some intensive physical therapy can't fix. But what about the girl?"

Shikamaru shook his head. "Stupid mistake on my part. We had the bone one cornered and alone. Kiba tried to charge in but I held him back – figured we could sit back and take him out from a distance. But then he started this weird thing where bones started growing from the ground…Neji dove in and hit him in the heart with a gentle fist strike. Killed him, but one of the bones impaled Neji." He sighed. "I shouldn't have given him time to start that technique in the first place. But more than half our forces were down and I didn't want to risk it."

The Chunin clapped him on the shoulder again. "Hey, we all make mistakes sometimes. Yours didn't cost anyone's life – though the Aburame lost an arm. What happened to him?"

"Shino? God that was brutal," Shikamaru said, sitting down on the floor of the hospital and leaning his back up against a wall. "The big fat guy got in close and just ripped it off. Then Shino's bugs went crazy, swarmed inside the fat guy's nose and mouth and ears and just…started eating.

The Chunin shuddered. "Well, chakra exhaustion isn't the worst way to die. I've heard it's supposed to be like falling asleep."

Shikamaru shook his head. "You don't understand. They didn't eat his chakra. They ate his face. From the inside out."

"Oh," The Chunin said, looking like he was about to throw up. "I didn't know the Kikaichu ate flesh."

"Neither did I," Shikamaru said with a shrug. "Maybe it's a defense mechanism. But other than the arm, Shino will be ok, right?"

"Should be," The Chunin said. "Like I said kid, you did good. And the good news is they found your Chunin leader. She and the Uzumaki kid managed to rescue Uchiha Sasuke. So your mission was a complete success."

Shikamaru smiled slightly. "Shino will be glad to hear it. I should go talk to him. And Neji too, after he gets out."

"You do that," The Chunin said with a nod. "I gotta run. Be seeing you." He jogged off after a medic nin whose face was obscured by a small mask, and Shikamaru groaned as he stood up.

"Shikamaru, got a moment?"

Shikamaru turned to see the dark skinned Chunin who had lead Ino and Chouji on their mission not too long ago. "Yeah, I guess," he responded with a shrug. "What do you need?"

"Nothing much," the Chunin said. "I'm Koyaiba. I lead your teammates, proctored in the exam. You remember?"

Shikamaru nodded wordlessly, secretly wishing this guy would get out of his way so he could visit his friends.

Koyaiba didn't get out of the way though. "Just wanted to see how you were holding up," he said. "You were handed a lot of responsibility very suddenly, and you didn't get out unscathed. It can be tough – I know from experience."

"I'm fine," Shikamaru insisted. "I just want to make sure my friends are alright."

Koyaiba motioned for Shikamaru to go. "No problem, no problem. I was just picking up some dead bodies. That was good work you did, collecting them like that. Keep performing like this and you'll be a Chunin within the month."

"Yay," Shikamaru said, voice utterly devoid of enthusiasm. "Can't wait."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Koyaiba dropped to one knee before entering the room the Hokage was standing in. Hiashi was like a statue as he loomed over his daughter's hospital bed, the only noise the tiny huffs and puffs of Hinata's breathing.

"She will survive," Hiashi said in answer to Koyaiba's unasked question. "She sustained a blow to head while protecting her fallen teammate. I am told she performed quite admirably."

"Is Hanabi not here as well?" Koyaiba said, coming up beside the Hokage. "I thought she would want to see her sister."

Hiashi's face did not change in the slightest. "My youngest daughter was found dead this morning. Apparently Orochimaru wanted his hands on the Byakugan as well as the Sharingan, but she resisted. Rather than allow her Byakugan to fall into enemy hands she…destroyed her eyes, killing herself in the process."

Koyaiba bowed his head. "Hokage-sama, I am…so sorry. There aren't words."

"There are words," the Hokage said, his voice flat. "I am deeply grieved. You came here to report something, correct?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama. Of course," Koyaiba said. "The bodies have been successfully transferred. Kumotora was ecstatic and set to work immediately. This should greatly speed up the schedule for Project Blessed Seal."

"Excellent," the Hokage said. "You've done well. But I have a mission for you."

"Anything, Hokage-sama."

The Hokage turned abruptly and walked out of the room, Koyaiba hurrying to keep up with him. "Hatake Kakashi had been assigned a mission to Waterfall shortly before his hospitalization at the hands of Uchiha Itachi. Obviously he is unable to complete the mission at this time. As he was injured protecting you, I feel it appropriate you go in his stead."

"I would be happy to," Koyaiba said. "Is there anything I need to know?"

"Not much," the Hokage said, walking out the Hospital's double doors and into the empty street. "As you already know, the Waterfall village is home to the most sophisticated prison system in the world. Because of it and Konoha's…agreement, for lack of a better term, it is often host to some of our villages high profile prisoners."

"I don't mean to second guess, but is that wise?" Koyaiba asked. "However loyal to the Leaf Waterfall may claim to be, they've wanted to be a truly independent village since the 2nd Shinobi war."

"Waterfall? Challenge Konoha?" The Hokage rolled his eyes. "They wouldn't dare. Make no mistake Koyaiba, _I'm _the one making decisions for that village. Just as the Raikage makes the decisions for the Snow Village, and the Tsuchikage for the Grass. Waterfall will not challenge us."

"Of course, Hokage-sama. I apologize for the interruption."

"Anyway," the Hokage continued, "several years ago we captured a seal master working with Orochimaru in the creation of the cursed seal. We were unable to get any information out of him, and sent him to Waterfall. We want him back now. Go to Waterfall, and see if he would be interested in helping us in exchange for freedom."

"Do you honestly think that he'll cooperate?" Koyaiba asked.

"Project Blessed Seal _will_ not fail, Koyaiba," the Hokage said. "I've staked much on it, and the sooner it succeeds the better for my political career." He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "The other clans have been in uproar ever since I was elected Hokage. Placing some of their members in the program should help quiet them down…you'd be amazed what many of the clan heads would put up with for a little power. I need this to succeed."

"So I've just got the entire structure of Konoha politics resting on my back," Koyaiba said. "No big deal."

Hiashi was not amused. "You leave tomorrow and should be back within two weeks. I expect to see you at my daughter's funeral. Dismissed."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Jiraiya didn't bother to knock before entering Hiashi's office.

The Hyuga was sitting at his desk, idly filling out paper work while sipping at a cup of tea. "Jiraiya," he said without looking up. "It is four in the morning. I expect you have an explanation for why you are here."

"I see you haven't mellowed out at all, Hiashi-_kun_," Jiraiya said, putting as much mocking affection into the kun as possible. "You'd think age would've taught you how to relax."

"I'm the Hokage now, in case you've forgotten," Hiashi said, finally looking up from his paperwork. They locked eyes, and Jiraiya had to admit that Hiashi was much better at the whole death glare thing than he had been when they had last had this kind of conversation. "I have no time to relax. Missions, treaties...my own ninja disrespecting me…" he continued, regarding Jiraiya cooly.

Jiraiya chuckled and took a seat, propping his feet up Hiashi's desk. "Hey Hiashi, remember when we were kids and I used to shove your face in the mud?"

Hiashi said nothing.

"That's what I thought," Jiraiya said with a grin. "Now I'm here to tell you something."

"This should be interesting," Hiashi said, folding his arms and leaning back in his chair.

"I'm going to be taking off soon," Jiraiya said. "Don't get me wrong, fighting Itachi was great and all, but I need to get out of Konoha. I have people to meet, deals to keep. You understand."

"You have your duties," Hiashi said, inclining his head slightly. "As little as I enjoy to admit it, your information networks have proven very helpful."

Jiraiya shrugged. "What can I say? I am _amazing_." He smiled, but then sighed and took his feet off Hiashi's desk. "I'm going to be gone for a couple years. Hunting this…Akatsuki that employed Itachi and his partner. I want to bring Team 7 with me."

Hiashi didn't say anything for a long moment. "Let me get this straight," he said finally. "You…expect me…to allow you to leave the village for several years with my newest Chunin, the last loyal survivor of the Uchiha clan, and Konoha's only Jinchuriki."

Jiraiya nodded. "That about sums it up."

Hiashi shook his head. "I refuse. The risk is too great. One of them, I could agree to. Maybe even two, as long as the second was the girl. But all three? You're out of your mind."

Jiraiya leaned forward. "Listen to me, Hiashi," he said, his voice low. "You have no idea what these kids are capable of."

"Of course I do," Hiashi said. "I have their reports right here."

"The reports don't matter," Jiraiya said. "The reports aren't what I'm talking about. Kabuto was a jounin level ninja, at least, and had personal instruction from Orochimaru for who knows how many years. And these kids killed him with no casualties or even serious injuries." He sighed. "Hiashi, I think these kids could be the next Sanin."

Hiashi nodded slowly. "And so you want to train them personally."

"They need a teacher Hiashi," Jiraiya said. "Kakashi's a good kid, and one of the best Jounin Konoha has, but he's no teacher. And besides," he said, "I know your leadership is on the rocks. You know as well as I do that the clan heads aren't happy with your election…and that they're looking at me as the best alternative."

"Is that a threat?" Hiashi asked, his voice dangerously low.

Jiraiya held up his hands. "Nothing of the sort. I don't want the job Hiashi – they offered it to me before they offered it to you. All I'm saying is that by putting Konoha's two biggest assets – and a particularly talented Chunin – under my tutelage and then letting them leave the village, you show the dissenters that you're not trying anything."

Hiashi put his hands into a steeple. "Or I show them that I'm weak and am voluntarily sending away two of my greatest weapons."

Jiraiya shrugged. "You're at the level where you have to make tough choices. So make them."

Hiashi glared at him. "I have made tougher choices than you have ever imagined. Do not…" he sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "I am sorry. My youngest daughter is dead. I am…not at my best."

Inwardly, Jiraiya sighed. It had been easy to hate Hiashi before, when he had just been a pompous ass with stupid expectations of everyone around him, but it was significantly harder to drag up that old annoyance and contempt for the person in front of him now.

He could almost hear Tsunade's voice. _That's because you're finally growing up, dumbass._

"Very well," Hiashi said, leaning back in his chair and taking a sip of his tea. "Take them. I'll do the paperwork later." He shrugged slightly. "There's been an idea for a mobile team bouncing around for several years anyway. Your team will be a good test run."

"Always working the angles, aren't you Hiashi?" Jiraiya said with a grin. He stood and turned to the door, pushing it open.

"You would be too, if you were in my position," Hiashi said. "Before you leave though…I hope you know your team will still be required to take missions. You have the special issue chakra paper, do you not?"

"I've got it."

"Excellent," Hiashi said with a nod. "Then I will get in contact with you when I have a mission."

Jiraiya grinned and stepped outside. "Got it, Hokage-sama."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto was worried that he was getting used to living in Sasuke's house.

It had been one week since their fight with Kabuto, and things were almost peaceful. They had had very little training since the fight, but Kakashi made a point of stopping buy for a few minutes every day and checking up on them. Mostly he and Sasuke passed the time throwing shuriken at practice dummies, or sparring with each other. Sakura came to visit more often than not, but her injuries had been the most severe of all of them, and she couldn't train at all until she was fully healed.

She busied herself with the scrolls in the Uchiha library. Occasionally Sasuke would take one look at what she was reading and snatch it out of her hands, muttering under his breath about family things that really should be kept private, but most of the time he was happy to let her sit and read.

She had yet to mention how exactly she came about her injuries, and Naruto was hoping she would stay quiet. Still, he couldn't ignore the way she seemed to shy away from him whenever he came near her. Iruka had said that it was best to talk about your problems…but that was an issue for another time.

"You know Sasuke," Naruto said as they sparred, "you could've died out there."

Sasuke arched an eyebrow, turning away one of Naruto's punches and landing a strong kick on his shoulder. "Naruto, I used to think you were brave…but now I realize you're just to stupid to understand danger."

"No, I'm being serious," Naruto said, coming down in a defensive stance and ducking under a roundhouse kick. "You're always talking about how you want to rebuild your clan and stuff, but if you die then that's it. Why put yourself in danger like that?"

Sasuke sighed, turning away a kick and responding with a quick elbow that missed its target by a few inches. "I guess it doesn't matter…" he muttered to himself. "Somebody needs to know…" He rolled his eyes. "You know that refrigerator in my room?" He asked. "The one I always keep locked?"

"Yeah," Naruto said, launching himself into the air and attempting to dive bomb Sasuke.

The Uchiha boy gracefully dodged out of the way before responding. "I have it filled with all the…necessary ingredients."

Naruto's face screwed up in concentration as he tried to figure out what his teammate meant. After a few moments, it shifted into one of disgust and no small amount of horror. "That's nasty."

"You asked," Sasuke said with a shrug. "Just…don't tell Sakura about it, alright? Or Ino?"

"Would they really…" Naruto said, glancing over at Sakura. "That seems a little extreme."

"I'd rather not take the chance," Sasuke said. "Blonde Uchiha? Or even worse, pink-haired ones?"

"I dunno," Naruto said with a grin. "It would go great with your Sharingan."

He was rewarded for his cleverness with a punch to the jaw that was a little bit harder than was actually necessary.

Naruto grinned and pounced, launching into a long string of kicks and punches that forced Sasuke across the yard. They both fought back and forth for a few moments, until Sakura interrupted them.

"Naruto! Jiraiya-sama is here to see you!"

Naruto turned in surprise, waving hesitantly to the toad sage. He had thought Pervy Sage would've left Konoha by now – he had certainly made it clear that he wouldn't be sticking around long after the Chunin exams. And yet he was still here.

"Actually, Sakura," Jiraiya said, taking a seat beside the wall, "I'm here to see all three of you. You see, I have a proposition for all of you."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hokage-sama."

Hiashi nodded, his expression blank, as Kakashi stepped into his office. "Kakashi. Take a seat. I want to talk to you about some things."

"No problem," Kakashi said, lounging in one of the seats on the opposite side of Hiashi's desk. "Sorry I'm late. I was helping some academy students with their shuriken throwing."

Hiashi fixed Kakashi with an even stare and then shook his head. Inwardly however, he was smiling – he had actually told Kakashi to arrive several hours ago because he knew the jonin would be late – in fact, for perhaps the first time in his life, Kakashi was on time for a meeting with a superior.

"We all need to do our best to help the upcoming generations," Hiashi said with a tight smile. "I'm glad teaching has started to grow on you."

"Oh definitely," Kakashi said, his mask shifting in the way Hiashi had come to associate with a smirk. "It's the looks on their little faces…"

"That's not what I'm here about," Hiashi said, cutting him off with a sharp glare. "I take it Jiraiya has discussed Team Seven's arrangement with you?"

Kakashi nodded. "He even checked it with Sakura's parents. I didn't know he could be that thorough. I think he's speaking to the kids at the Uchiha Compound now."

Hiashi nodded. "You'll be rendezvousing with them several times while they're away in order to judge their progress. I'll have other ninja reporting to me as well, so don't try to fake a good report for Jiraiya."

Kakashi put his hand over his heart in mock pain. "I wouldn't dream of it."

Hiashi sighed inwardly. "Secondly. I need to know when you're going to be ready for active duty again. I already had to send a Chunin on your mission to Waterfall. He left a few days ago. I can't afford having you miss any more missions."

"Doctors said I'll be good tomorrow."

Hiashi nodded in satisfaction. "Excellent. I want you going through all of Konoha's official records in an attempt to find a counter to that Genjutsu Itachi used against you. And if you fail to find anything…then feel free to check less official records."

"Understood."

"Now leave. I'll have another mission for you tomorrow."


	37. Chains aka THE END

Koyaiba immediately decided he liked Takigakure.

The village hidden in the Waterfall was smaller than Konoha, but Koyaiba kind of liked the closeness. It had a comforting effect on him, and once he got over the initial annoyance of the constant sound of falling water, he found the noise to actually be soothing.

His guide led him through the cobbled streets, careful to keep other people away from him. Not that they seemed to need help – most would take one glance at his forehead protector and scurry away, their heads down. Koyaiba guessed Konoha didn't have the best reputation around Waterfall.

He was vaguely offended by that. Without Konoha's support, Taki would've fallen to other, larger ninja villages years ago. They claimed they wanted independence, but Koyaiba doubted they were ready to handle it. The alliance between the two villages benefited both of them – would Waterfall really be much happier of without Konoha?

They seemed to think so. And maybe they were ready for independence. But Koyaiba understood that Waterfall's location and ninja force made it too valuable an asset to risk losing. Even with Konoha's depleted numbers, Hiashi probably wouldn't hesitate to respond with force if Waterfall threatened to abandon them. And no matter what Waterfall thought of their military strength, they were no match for the Leaf. Konoha would crush them quickly, and all that would be achieved would be a weakening of both villages.

He shoved those thoughts to the back of his mind as they approached the prison complex. Easily the tallest building in the village, it was made out intimidating black stone, coursing with hundreds upon hundreds of dimly pulsing seals. Koyaiba took a step back to admire the full effect – though very unornamented, the prison was solid and imposing, a testament to its effectiveness.

"You're struck by it, I see," Koyaiba's guide said with a small smile. "Many foreigners are, when they see it for the first time."

"It looks invincible," Koyaiba said, still slightly breathless.

"It is," his guide said, obviously amused with Koyaiba's amazement. "Its name is Yomi – nobody has ever, or will ever, escape."

Koyaiba walked up to the door, which was heavy oak and seemed to shine in the daylight. The paint was unscratched and un-dirtied, and Koyaiba could barely even see fingerprints on the handle. "I like the door," he said as they walked into the prison. "Looks brand new."

The guide licked his lips. "Yes, ah – appearances are very important to us, of course. Yomi is our crown jewel, and should look the part."

The inside of Yomi was a maze of twisting corridors, with bleak, hard stone pressing in from all sides. Koyaiba was lost after the first few turns, but his guide seemed to know exactly where they were at all times, and his stride never broke or even hesitated.

Finally they reached a small congregation of ninja crowded outside a doorway. "This is where I'm going to have to leave you, Koyaiba-san," his guide said with a polite bow. "I have places to be. The man you're looking for, Joumae-sama, is the one with the silver staff.

"I see him. Thank you for the help," Koyaiba said, bowing back. The guide hurried off down the halls, and Koyaiba approached Yomi's Warden, Joumae Choushi.

Joumae was a tall, broad man, with a face that looked too narrow for the rest of his body. His light red hair was nearly shaven, and a similarly colored five o'clock shadow covered his face. A large chunk of his nose was missing, the skin around it lumpy and scarred. In his left hand was clutched a large silver staff, tipped with two "teeth" not unlike those on a key.

"So you're the representative from Konoha," he said as Koyaiba approached. His voice was slightly hoarse, but booming, and it seemed to echo across the tight corridor. "I expected you to be taller."

Behind him, some of the guards chuckled. One, a thin, pale man with a long cut across one face, winced and clutched one hand to his gut. Another guard, this one a woman, touched him lightly on the shoulder, her face worried – Koyaiba saw a flash of gold on her hand, though Joumae quickly blocked his vision.

Koyaiba looked up at the larger man and managed a small smile. "I'll keep that in mind. May I see him?"

Joumae shrugged. "Do I have a choice? Dunno why you'd want to see the old geezer. All he does is sit around and moan all day." He lifted the staff and banged it twice against the nearest door, the wood slowly sinking into the wall surrounding it. "Go on in. We'll give you two some privacy. Just knock twice when you want to get out."

Koyaiba nodded and stepped in, the door reforming itself behind him. The light was dim, and Koyaiba was forced to blink several times to get used to it, but finally his eyes adjusted enough to see Prisoner number 534.

The prisoner, or Dayase as Koyaiba was told, was a shriveled old man. He was slouched up against the wall, his white, greasy hair falling nearly to the floor. He was clean-shaven, his chin covered in a mess of scar tissue, and when he smiled Koyaiba saw he was missing several teeth.

"So," he said before Koyaiba could speak. "Konoha finally deigns to speak to me." His voice was scratchy and rough, but carried a thick accent. "I was thinking," (he pronounced it "theenking") "that they had forgotten about me." He chuckled. "Seems I still (steel) have some use, no?"

Koyaiba opened his mouth to respond, and then closed it. His job here was to convince Dayase to help Konoha. He had to choose his words carefully, or the old man might refuse simply out of spite. "Konoha has need of your…unique talents," he finally said.

Dayase chuckled again. "Of course they do. I worked with Orochimaru. Konoha's fallen son." His face darkened. "But he betrayed me. Left me as bait for your ANBU, damn their souls. And now…I am here."

"So…you'll help us?" Koyaiba asked. "We're closer than we've ever been to destroying Orochimaru. We're unraveling his plans, turning them against him. This may be the only chance you have to tear down everything he built."

Dayase laughed. "You think me so simple? What Orochimaru built…I helped built too. And what a glorious building it was." He paused for a moment. "You should be more respectful. I am royalty you know."

"Really."

"Yes!" Dayase said, grin returning. "In my youth, I lived in the Village Hidden in the Eddies. When war took our country, we scattered to the four corners of the world, but I have kept careful tabs. Our most noble house, Uzumaki, all died…and as second cousin once removed from the Uzumaki family, that makes me heir…royalty."

Koyaiba chuckled. "We've got ourselves an Uzumaki in Konoha," he said. "He could probably give you a run for your title."

This seemed to surprise Dayase – curiosity flashed across his face, and he leaned forward eagerly. "Really now. I thought the Uzumaki in Konoha died several years ago."

"Probably," Koyaiba said with a shrug. "The kid's an orphan. I think he was assigned the clan name as a way to honor the Eddy Village."

Dayase let out a satisfied sigh. "Well. I suppose that's to be expected. And it's about time we discussed the reason you're here."

"You'll help us?" Koyaiba asked.

Dayase flashed him a mostly toothless grin. "I will not leave this cell. Though my mind is strong, my body is but a shadow of its former strength. I can feel death calling to me, and it is coming soon."

Koyaiba staved off a wave of disappointment and frustration. "So you won't help us."

Dayase shrugged. "I believe Konoha's time would be better spent addressing more immediate threats."

"Are you saying Orochimaru isn't an immediate threat?" Koyaiba asked.

Dayase shrugged again and nodded towards the floor next to Koyaiba's foot. "What's that?" He asked.

Koyaiba looked at the spot he had pointed out and bent down, coming up with a small piece of rock. "It's a rock," he said. "So what?"

"So what?" Dayase said. "So _everything._ Where did it come from?"

"Who knows?" Koyaiba said. "Probably from the…" he paused, a frown creeping over his face, and turned back to the doorway. Instead of approaching the door however, he began to study the wall next to it. "There's a line right here," he said, pointing to a long, thin scratch in the wall. "And this section of the wall," he said, pointing to the left side of the crack, "is discolored." His frown deepened. "This isn't just a rock. It's rubble."

Dayase chuckled.

"They replaced the wall," Koyaiba said, running his fingers over the discolored section of the wall. "And recently. It's still smooth and new…just…like the door at the front."

His eyes widened slightly and he turned to Dayase. "What happened?"

Dayase's eyes seemed to glint with a non-existent light. "You tell me."

Koyaiba frowned. "Somebody broke out of Yomi." Then his frowned deepened. "Then they tried to break you out. But you didn't want to go…you didn't want to leave your cell."

"I _cannot _leave me cell," Dayase corrected. "The chains that bind me to this wall…they pump a special kind of chakra through the body. Within a few weeks, a prisoner becomes addicted…if one was suddenly cut off from the chakra supply after addiction…bad things would happen."

"But this person broke out," Koyaiba said. "This person wasn't in withdrawal. He was new. Not addicted yet. And he broke through several feet of solid stone to get to you." He turned back to the stone, running his hand over the slight discoloration. "This is a clean break. No stress marks that I can see. So it wasn't pounded at, it was just…broken." He bent low to the ground. "No scorch marks. And no new paint. I didn't see anything outside either. So it wasn't explosives, it was pure force. Someone punched through the wall to get to you."

"You're getting warmer…" Dayase said, his grin widening.

"There aren't a lot of people," Koyaiba said, "capable of punching through a wall like that."

"No," Dayase said. "There aren't, are there?"

"I know of three," Koyaiba said. "Tsunade could do it. But she's currently living in self imposed exile and has given up the ninja life. And the Fourth Raikage has the raw physical strength too….but the Raikage would never…" he shook his head. "Waterfall would never be able to capture him. And that only leaves one person."

Dayase blinked once, his smile never leaving his face.

"A serial killer," Koyaiba said, "by the name of Fourteen."

Dayase nodded slowly.

"Well," Koyaiba said, running his hand over his head. "That only leaves one question then. What the _fuck_ is Fourteen doing in Yomi?" He sighed and shook his head. "And why did he want to break you out?"

Dayase shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "He broke through the wall and moved towards me, but then guards jumped him and he was forced out of my cell. I never saw him after that, but…"

"But if he broke the door down, he at least got out," Koyaiba said. "And if he broke out of Yomi, there's no way he didn't get past the rest of Waterfall…Look…thanks for this. I have to talk to someone." He turned to go, but before he reached the door, Dayase stopped him.

"Wait."

Koyaiba turned around to face the old man. His head was bowed, grimy hair covering his face, but Koyaiba saw a flash of pain cross his face as he spoke. "The cursed seal…is so much complex than you could ever imagine. A masterpiece the likes of which this world has never seen, the offspring of a twisted but brilliant mind and a young seal master with more ego than common sense." He chuckled slightly. "But know this. A seal, a mere construct, could never do what the cursed seal does. It is too enormous task. There is an intelligence behind it."

Koyaiba frowned. "Is Orochimaru somehow controlling the cursed seal then?"

"_No_," Dayase spat, his face twisting and contorting in agony. "Gods, such _fools_…you're thinking about it…so _simply._" He took a deep breath. "The cursed seal…itself…is…alive."

He went limp, and Koyaiba ran towards him. Smoke began to curl upwards from his slightly open mouth, and he let out a wracking cough.

"You were sealed…" Koyaiba said. "Sealed to stay quiet. By Orochimaru?"

Dayase nodded. "Pushed it too hard. Not as young as I used to be. Oh well. Not as desperate to live as I used to be either."

"But…why?" Koyaiba asked, his tone confused. "Why tell me…all of this? About the jail? And the seal?"

A smile tugged at the edges of Dayase's lips. "Why do we do anything? Perhaps it is as you said, and I am simply trying to get revenge on a man who once betrayed me. Or perhaps I am….simply angry at my jailors, and wish to see them fall, no matter the cost." He coughed again. "Or maybe…maybe I'm doing it for the young Uzumaki boy you mentioned…so that he may bring honor to a name…a name I have brought only shame to. A man is not defined by a word, or a phrase. He is too complicated for that…a man is defined by how he chooses to face that death. And today I have chosen. Today…I die gloriously."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Two knocks.

The wooden door crawled back, revealing Joumae and the guards. "What happened in there?" Joumae asked as Koyaiba walked out of the cell and the door began to regrow.

"Dayase's dead," Koyaiba said. "Overloaded a seal. I need to speak to you privately."

"He's dead?" Joumae asked. "How is he dead? What do you mean he-"

"We can talk about that later," Koyaiba said, his voice even. "I need to talk to you privately."

Joumae grunted in disapproval. "Fine. Onbou. Doman, you're with me. Everyone else, back to your posts."

The guards began to disperse, and Koyaiba yet again caught sight of the wounded guard. His was pressing his stomach tenderly, and Koyaiba could see his uniform had recently been stitched together just above the injury.

After a minute or two of walking, Joumae led Koyaiba into his office, leaving the two guards they had brought with them outside the door. Joumae took a seat behind his desk, and Koyaiba took the seat across from him, studying the room as he did so.

The office wasn't small, but it wasn't big either. It was empty though – mostly bleak stone, with only a desk, a few chairs, and a large banner bearing Taki's symbol hung on the far wall.

"So," Joumae said, resting his staff on the desk in front of them. "What did you want to talk about?"

Koyaiba did his best to keep his face steady. "Don't play coy with me. I want to know why you didn't immediately inform Konoha that you had captured the killer known as Fourteen."

Joumae was good. Koyaiba had to give him that. There was no reaction other than the briefest widening of the eyes before he replied. "We did inform Konoha."

Koyaiba resisted the urge to smirk. If Joumae had just lied, he would've been stuck – he had no evidence that it had been Fourteen who had broken out, but Joumae had confirmed that when he had switched to a new tactic.

"I don't think you did," Koyaiba said, narrowing his eyes. "Because if you had, I think the Hokage would've sent men to have him taken to Konoha already. And I'm just taking a while stab here, but I think you decided to keep him here so you could study hi-"

Something slammed into the side of his face, and Koyaiba was thrown backwards. An instant later, Joumae was standing above him, the end of his silver staff shoved into Koyaiba's forehead. "Yeah, well you know what _I _think you little punk?" He asked, pressing the staff painfully into Koyaiba's skin. "I think you've taken advantage of Waterfall's generous hospitality."

Koyaiba opened his mouth to fire back, but Joumae cracked his staff across his cheek again, and flashes of color exploded across his vision. He was dimly aware of being dragged to his feet and cuffed, led down the hall by the two guards on either side of him.

Then he blacked out.

He awoke some time later, his head pounding and the sharp taste of blood in his mouth. He spat, and red flecks covering the floor in front of him, accompanied by a flash of white that Koyaiba could only assume was his tooth.

"Shit."

His voice was hoarse and barely made it to his own ears. He realized he was thirsty – and hungry too – and that pretty much his entire body hurt. Luckily, the pounding in his head was drowning out most of the other pains.

He tried to wipe his mouth with his sleeve, but his arms were chained to the wall behind him, and didn't give him much slack. Finally he was able to sort of ball up (his ankles weren't chained to the ground, just each other) and wipe his mouth that way.

He lay there for a while, working on slowing his breathing and assessing the situation. He had been in tighter spots before. Admittedly, the last time he had been in a spot this bad was way back in the Chunin exams, and if it hadn't been for Rika he would've died.

No Rika this time. But he had been working on this. A vague plan began to form in his mind, and spent the next half hour trying to mentally construct a rough map of the prison based on what he knew.

There was a faint spot of sunlight roughly two feet from his left ankle, coming from a small window located above his head. That meant that he wasn't exactly in the most secure cell, which was good news. By judging the strength of light he deduced that it was either sunrise or sunset – and given the number of crickets he heard, it was most likely the latter. That would mean he had only been out for a few hours, but more importantly it told him his cell was on the west end of the tower.

He was jarred back to reality by the sound of the door opening. A normal door, not the weird kind of crawly door that had held Dayase. The wounded guard from earlier walked through, carrying a plate with a jug of water and a piece of fruit on it.

He set the tray in front of Koyiaba and shot the Konoha Chunin a dark look. Koyaiba's eyes fell to his hands, one of which was decorated by a simple silver ring.

Koyaiba knew what he needed to do. 

"I like your ring," he said. His voice was still hoarse, but it was stronger now, and the guard frowned, pausing for a moment before glancing down at his ring. Then he shrugged and began to walk away.

Koyaiba however, wasn't done yet. "Maybe I'll take it from you when Konoha breaks me out of here."

The guard stopped and looked over his shoulder, his upper lip curving into a bit of a sneer.

"Or," Koyaiba said, careful to keep his tone light, "I could have your wife instead."

The guard immediately stiffened – he made a move as if to turn around and come back towards Koyaiba, but shook his head and reached for the door again.

"I'm not sure I'll get the chance though," Koyaiba said, his words coming faster now. "She's a pretty one, that wife of yours. Everyone in Konoha is going to want a piece of that."

That got the guard's attention. He turned around to face Koyaiba, his face carefully neutral. His eyes though, were narrowed, and Koyaiba could see his fists were clenched so tightly that they were white.

"Once I finish burning this place to the ground, I'll make sure to find her," Koyaiba continued. "I figure if she's still alive she'll be too exhausted to resist. I doubt she'd even want to. She probably enjoys i-"

For the second time in the span of a few hours, he was cut off by an explosion of pain to his cheek. The guard's foot flew past Koyaiba's field of vision, and he knew he only had a few seconds to act.

He put his feet flat on the floor and pushed them into the air, striking once at the guard's stomach. His foot hit flesh, and the guard let out a curse of pain as he fell to one knee, turning away from Koyaiba and shielding his injured stomach with his arm.

Koyaiba didn't miss a beat. He threw his ankles over the guard's head, successfully wrapping the chains that bound them together around the guard's throat. He yanked his feet towards his chest, and was rewarded with a small choke and the feeling of fingers scrambling around his ankles.

The guard thrashed violently, but he was injured and Koyaiba was desperate. The more the guard kicked and flailed, the tighter he pulled, and though his ankles were bleeding furiously, the guard eventually fell limp.

He kept the choke for about a half a minute more. Better safe than sorry.

Finally he unwound the chain from the guard's throat and used his feet to scoot the dead body closer. The door was still closed, but Koyaiba threw it a fearful glance – this would be the most delicate part of the entire operation. If someone found him now, he would be completely unable to defend himself.

His feet weren't the perfect tools, but they worked well enough. He was able to turn the guard's pockets inside out, finally grabbing the key he had used to unlock the door. Some more scrambling and he was able to get it into one hand, and with some twisting and turning he managed to get his first hand unlocked.

When he unlocked the chain binding his other wrist, he felt a rush of dizziness that almost cause him to pass out. He noticed a faint blue glow coming from the inside of the manacle, and realized with a brief shudder that the manacles had been pumping chakra into him this entire time.

He shrugged it off and unlocked his feet, hurriedly bringing his hands into the henge seal. There was a puff of smoke and he was suddenly an unremarkable guard.

He briefly considered becoming the guard he had just killed, but figured that trying to emulate him perfectly would be too dangerous. As long as he was dressed like a guard and his true skin tone was hidden, he should be able to avoid suspicion.

Of course, he still had to get out of Yomi. The window wasn't big enough to crawl through, and Koyaiba had no explosive tags, so busting through the wall was out. He'd have to keep to the west end and hope there was an exit somewhere.

He crept through the hallways carefully, doing his best to simultaneously stay hidden and also look like he belonged there. Luckily he didn't run into any guards, and after a few minutes he was sure he was going in the right direction.

This had been suspiciously easy. Koyaiba hoped it was just because the guards were still recovering from Fourteen's breakout and not because this was a set up.

"Hey! Rookie!"

Koyaiba froze as a girl's voice rang across the hallway. He turned to face her just as she jogged up next to him, holding an unsheathed katana in one hand. "What are you doing over here?" She asked. "Didn't you hear about the prisoner?"

Koyaiba swallowed. She obviously had no idea he was henged. "What prisoner?" His voice still sounded scratchy and rough. _Dammit, _he should've had some water, even if it had probably been drugged.

The girl seemed to not notice his voice however – she obviously had other things on her mind. "The new one, from Konoha! He escaped somehow – killed Hiroto. Anzu is going insane…if she finds the kid she might actually kill him." She shook her head. "And Orochimaru broke all of the good stuff when he broke that serial killer out, so we can't track him through any of the normal methods. We're setting up a perimeter."

Koyaiba struggled to keep his face neutral at the casual mention of Orochimaru. Fourteen hadn't broken out on his own after all? Had Dayase lied to him, or had he just been ignorant? And what the _fuck _did Orochimaru want with Fourteen anyway? But instead of voicing those questions, he simply nodded. "Lead the way."

The girl turned back around, and Koyaiba immediately grabbed her hair and pulled as hard as he could.

She tried to scream, but Koyaiba's other hand came up and chopped her across the throat, killing the noise before it could properly start. Her head hit the ground with a rough thud, and he brought his boot directly into her teeth with a vicious stomp.

The girl's expression was panicked, and she attempted to jab her sword into Koyaiba's gut. But Koyaiba simply kicked it out of the way and hit her in the throat again.

She convulsed in pain and tried to roll away, but Koyaiba refused to give her a moment's respite. He pulled a kunai from the weapon pouch he had stolen off the first guard – Hiroto, the girl had called him – and pinned one of her arms against the floor. The girl squirmed and clawed at his face with her nails, but he simply elbowed her arm out of the way and plunged the kunai up through her chin.

He didn't wait around to see the lights fade from her eyes or anything. They were looking for him now – not everyone would be as careless as that girl had been, especially when they found her corpse. He had to move.

He broke out into a sprint, and though it hurt his aching muscles, the chance to stretch out his legs invigorated him. He flew down the hallway, avoiding any voices, and finally found himself face to face with the large wooden door that marked the entrance to Yomi.

No seals on it. Apparently they hadn't had time to repair even the simple stuff. Koyaiba smirked. This might be the only time Orochimaru had ever saved his life – he might as well enjoy the irony.

He brought his hands together in a string of familiar seals and took a step back. "Wind release: Four Part Air Cannon jutsu!"

Four bursts of wind hit the door like a battering ram, and while they didn't knock the thing off its hinges they at least shoved it open a little bit. Koyaiba used his fists to pound at the opening, and a moment later received a blast of light to his face for the troubles.

Of course, he wasn't exactly in the clear yet. He was still in the middle of Taki. Which was definitely a problem.

He could hear people coming down the hall, alerted by the noise, and he took off towards the forest in a desperate attempt to lose them. Not for the first time in his life, he wished he knew an Earth Release technique, but he'd have to make due with what he knew.

He made several normal clones, using the cloud of smoke from their creation to substitute himself with a nearby log. Once in the trees, he shed his guard henge and adopted a similar looking one with civilian clothes instead of a guard's uniform.

His clones all took off in different directions, and Koyaiba substituted again before taking off back towards the village.

He hit the roof of a building and rolled into a back alley, breathing heavily. He wasn't out of the woods yet though, and with another simple seal he brought forth a clone that henged into an ordinary looking girl. He grabbed her hand (or made it look like they were holding hands as well as he could) and emerged into the busy street of Taki grinning like an idiot.

An elderly shopkeeper gave him an odd look as he saw him come out of the alley, but immediately upon seeing Koyaiba's clone, got a knowing smile and nodded to him. Koyaiba nodded back, and then sent his clone hurrying around another corner as he took off in the opposite direction.

It was time to get the hell out of Waterfall.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Joumae hit the wall of his office in frustration. Two breakouts in just as many weeks – if it weren't for Orochimaru, none of that brat's escape would've been possible. Not for the first time, Joumae wished both that "Legendary" snake monster and the village that had spawned him had never existed.

A cough came from the shadowy figure in the corner of his office, and Joumae immediately dropped to one knee. "I am…so sorry, sir," he said, his voice shaking. "The boy escaped. Killed two of my guards in the process…Konoha will know what we've been hiding. I've failed you again."

"You have," the shadowy figure said, causing Joumae to clench his fists in frustration. "But it is of little consequence."

"Sir…sir?"

"The time has come," the shadowy figure said. "No longer do we hide in the shadows. For too long, the Five Great shinobi villages have abused the smaller ones. We have secured the support of the Snow village…all is ready."

Joumae looked up, and his eyes locked with the man's. For the first time, Joumae saw his eyes…a light purple with ripples coming from the irises. Almost like…

"Do not worry," the figure said. "Soon, Konoha will know pain."

**-End-**

**AN: **Well, it's over. Except not really. Be sure to keep checking my page for the sequel! Check the livejournal for my thoughts.


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